
* s* 

vv 



,<? 



/ \ -Sp?- ** *+ '* 



A 







C 




o 



^ ,V 



?«^^^'". *b\P' ^ '^nt 




v-0 1 









Y> , *v* m// >J'A \\\) c-% . rv 



^ V * Y * °- cv 




IW; ^V -mii^ .* v ^ 




*b 



* fmS?: '*<>« f« 












A 





*^ ***** 





*Pl 







< o 









'^CV 





^ ** 
/\ 








,0 r 





o 






THE 



CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 



WAS IT BY 



DIVINE OR HUMAN AUTHORITY? 



Bjr GEO. I. 'BUTLEt^, 



SOUTHERN PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION 

Nashville, Tennessee - Fort Worth, Texas 



3 



\1\&" 



< 



A 



LIBRARY cf CONURtSS 
Two Copies Keceiveci 

NOV 26 iyU4 

Copyritrtu entry 

CUSS // XXc. Noi 

COPY B, 



Copyright, 1904, by Geo. I. Butler 



ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 



PREFACE 



This book has been written with the hope that it may 
find access to a large number of people who desire in- 
formation concerning the change of the Sabbath, — a sub- 
ject which is attracting more attention at the present time 
than it has for ages. Frequent inquiries concerning the 
day are being sent to prominent theologians and scholars, 
and to the leading secular and religious papers, asking 
for light ; and the question is fast becoming a prominent 
one. Thousands of sermons, in the aggregate, have been 
preached in recent years upon this subject; nor is the 
agitation likely to subside. As the public mind is being 
stirred, there seems to be a demand for more stringent 
laws, both State and national, in behalf of the popular rest- 
day ; and as we are living in an age when libraries are 
being searched, ruins of ancient cities are being dug up, 
and everything questioned to find the substratum of truth 
on every subject, it is certainly appropriate that the Scrip- 
tural and historical evidences relative to the Sabbath in- 
stitution should be considered. 

The questions are often asked, How was the change 
from the observance of the seventh to the first day of 
the week brought about ? On what authority does it stand ? 
The following pages will quite fully answer these queries, 
although the work does not aim to be a thorough exposi- 
tion of the subject treated. Those in search of such a 
volume are referred to the " History of the Sabbath," 

(3) 



4 PREFACE 

which may be obtained from the publishers of this 
book. [For prices see advertisement in back of book.] 
The " History of the Sabbath " carefully canvasses the 
entire ground of sacred and profane history, noticing every 
point, and answering every question. But as many cannot 
take the time required to read such an exhaustive treat- 
ise, this book has been prepared, which covers the ground 
of the change of the Sabbath as briefly as is con- 
sistent with a clear discussion of the subject, and gives 
a concise outline of the steps taken in bringing about the 
change. It is hoped that this work will prove a fair 
synopsis of the subject, and answer in a satisfactory manner 
the question, Who changed the Sabbath? G. I. B. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER L— The Sabbath a Living Issue 9 

An Ancient Institution — A Religious Day — 
The Day of the Sabbath. 

CHAPTER II.— The Origin oe the Sabbath.... 14 

CHAPTER III.— The Sabbath Previous to the 

Giving oe the Law 19 

The Weekly Cycle — The Sabbath before 
Sinai. 

CHAPTER IV.— The Sabbath at the Giving oe 

the Law 26 

CHAPTER V. — What the Fourth Commandment 
Requires 29 

CHAPTER VI.— The Sabbath erom the Giving oe 
the Law tile the Resurrection oe Christ. . 31 

Tradition Exalted by the Jews — Christ Kept 
the Seventh Day — Christ the Lord of the Sabbath. 

CHAPTER VII.— Did Our Saviour Change the 

Sabbath before His Ascension ? 39 

Evidence in the Evangelists — Matthew's Tes- 
timony — Mark's Testimony — Luke's Testimony 
— John's Testimony — The Law Honored by 
Christ — A Memorial — The Destruction of Je- 
rusalem. 

CHAPTER VIII. — Consideration oe Reasons As- 
signed for Sunday Sacredness 52 

John 20:19 — John 20:26 — Acts 2:1, 2 — 
Redemption Greater than Creation — God's Me- 
morials. 

(5) 



U CONTENTS 

CHAPTER IX.— The; Sabbath During the Lives 

OF THE APOSTEES 62 

Acts 20:6-14 — i Cor. 16:1, 2 — Acts 13: 
14, 42, 44 — Acts 16:13 — Acts 17:1, 2 — Acts 
18:4, 11— "The Lord's Day." Rev. 1:10— * 
The Sabbath in the New Earth. 

CHAPTER X.— The Two Rest Days in Secular 

History 79 

The Great Apostasy. 

CHAPTER XL— The Sabbath Observed eor Sev- 
eral Centuries after Christ 85 

Christianity Becomes Popular — Council of 
Laodicea — The Sabbath a Fast Day. 

CHAPTER XII.— Steps by Which Sunday Rose 
into Prominence 94 

Antiquity of Sun Worship — Origin of Sun 
Worship — The Sabbath among Gentile Nations 
— Assyrian Tablets — The Sabbath Superseded. 

CHAPTER XIII.— Other Reasons Why Sunday 
. Was Favored 106 

First Instance of Sunday Observance — Sun- 
day a Festival. 

CHAPTER XIV.— A Law for Resting on Sunday 112 
Constantine's Edict — Effect on the Church — 
Where is the Resemblance ? — A Heathen Union 
Consummated -- Sunday First Called 'Lord's 
Day.' 



>) 



CHAPTER XV. — Sunday Down to the Reforma- 
tion 122 

Sunday First Called Sabbath — Councils Fa- 
voring Sunday — Divine Authority Claimed for 
Sunday. 



CONTENTS 7 

CHAPTER XVI. — Attitude of the Reformers to- 
ward Sunday 132 

The Seventh-Part-of-Time Theory — A Pre- 
posterous Claim. 

CHAPTER XVII.— Traces of the Sabbath Where 
the Cathouc Church could not Suppress It 139 

The Culdees — The Waldenses — The Passa- 
ginians — The Petrobrusians — Sabbath -keepers 
in Africa — The Armenians — In the East Indies 

— Summary. 

CHAPTER XVIII.— What Catholic Authorities 
Say about the Change Effected by their 

Church 151 

The Roman Decretalia — Catechisms — Clif- 
ton Tracts — A Challenge — Statements by Cath- 
olic Authors. 

CHAPTER XIX.— Admissions of Some Protes- 
tants Concerning the Change of the Sabbath 162 
A Retrospect. 

CHAPTER XX. — General Observations and Con- 
clusions 167 

The Four Universal Kingdoms — The Triple 
Crown — Presumptuous Claims — " He shall 
Think to Change " — " That Wicked " — God's 
Vindication — The " Woman " of Revelation 12 

— The " Remnant " — What it Means to Keep 
the Law — The Three Angels' Messages — The 
"Beast" of Revelation 13 — The Crisis. 

CHAPTER XXI. — Summary of Facts about the 
Seventh Day of the Week 184 

CHAPTER XXII. — Summary of Facts about the 
First Day of the Week 192 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



" It is an investigative age." 1 1 

" Children . . . ask their parents why they observe the 
first day of the week." 12 

" Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." 16 

" From even unto even shall ye celebrate your Sabbath." . . 17 

" The revolution of the earth on its axis, the changes of 
the moon, and the circuit of the earth around the 
sun, originate these divisions of time." 20 

" Notice the testimony, already referred to, of those tablets 
dug out of ancient ruins found in that country." .... 22 

" Bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the 
Sabbath day." 32 

" Yet, should a sheep fall into a pit, they would readily 
lift him out." 35 

" Even while men fish and hunt openly, and railway 
trains run regularly, and other business is trans- 
acted." 42 

" In the End of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward 
the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and 
the other Mary to see the sepulcher." 44 

" When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, 
then know that the desolation thereof is nigh." 50 

"Another prominent meeting held with his disciples was 
on a fishing occasion." 55 

" Should it not be the day of his crucifixion rather 
than of his resurrection ? " 60 

(8) 



THE JABBATH A LIVING ISSUE 




CHAPTER I. 




|HE question of the change of the Sabbath 
from the seventh to the first day of the week, is 
one that is agitating- the public mind through- 
out Christendom. It is one of the leading 
questions of the age, and promises to become 
more and more important. In past centuries it has en- 
gaged public attention more or less. Theologians have 
often wrestled with it, and fondly thought they had settled 
it ; but the revolving years still bring it to the surface ; it 
will not be repressed. Legislatures have considered it, and 
from time to time have placed the heavy hand of civil power 
in the scale to make the result decisive. Yet the public 
mind is not at rest; the interest in the subject revives; and 
it is safe to say that at the present time there is more real 
desire to know the whole truth upon this question than 
there has been at any time for a thousand years past. 

The age in which we live is peculiar. There is little rev- 
erence in its spirit for the opinions of the hoary past. 

(0) 



10 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

Everything is being investigated, and it is not surprising 
that the Sabbath question should have its share of public 
attention ; the nature of the subject is such that it merits 
consideration. 

An Ancient Institution. 

The Bible presents the Sabbath as the most ancient in- 
stitution, excepting marriage, which man was to observe 
as a moral duty. Gen. 2:1-3. Its existence has run par- 
allel with that of the race. Multitudes of the most 
intelligent and conscientious believe that its universal ob- 
servance is necessary if man is to attain to his highest 
physical, moral, and spiritual development. The most 
civilized and powerful nations of the earth have even made 
rigorous laws to enforce a weekly rest-day upon their sub- 
jects. It comes to the hundreds of millions of our race 
every seven days of our mortal life. It furnishes a day 
of worship and religious instruction to a large portion of 
the human family. It cannot be denied that it has fur- 
nished one of the most powerful impulses that have molded 
our modern civilization. The importance of the subject, 
then, cannot be overestimated. 

A Religious Day. 

But the Sabbath, above all else, is a religious day. It 
called into being the division of time into weeks. No other 
cause can be found for the week, other than the appointment 
of a day to be observed in memory of God's work of crea- 
tion. All we know of its origin we learn from Moses' 
record of creation in the Bible. The Gentile nations have 
received its benefits since their conversion from heathenism, 
till now it is known to earth's remotest bounds. As the 
Sabbath relates to God, for he appointed its rest and made 
it a religious day, and as all we know of its institution and 
moral obligation is derived from his word, the question be- 
comes one of religious duty, — a question of conscience, 



THIS SABBATH A LIVING ISSUL 



11 



relating primarily to human salvation, and but secondarily 
to man's physical and social welfare. 

The Day of the Sabbath. 

There can be no Sabbath institution unless some day is 
observed as a Sabbath. This is self-evident. Some partic- 
ular day, recurring every week, must be used as a day of 
rest and religious observance in order to have such an 
institution. Since God is the author of the institution, he 
must have appointed some day for its celebration. To leave 
any day of the seven to be observed as the Sabbath, at 
the option of humanity, would have much the same effect 
as to have no Sabbath at all ; the days of the week would 

stand upon an equality. The es- 
sence of the institution requires 
the appointment of a particular 
day of the seven as 
a day of rest and 
worship. 

Did God appoint 
such a day? If so, 
what day was i t ? 
Has the original ap- 
pointment continued 
till the present 
time ? or has 
God for some 
important rea- 
son, changed it 
to another day? 
What day i s 
now obligatory? 
These are 
questions of 
great moment. 

It is an investigative age." In re'l'lglOUS 




12 



THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 




Children . . . ask their parents why they observe Ihe 
first day of the week." 



truth, upon which our 
salvation hinges, we 
want to know God's 
will. Human author- 
ity is not sufficient. In 
this age, everything 
which can be shaken 
will be shaken. We 
want to anchor t o 
those things which 
will stand the test of 
the closest exami- 
nation. 1 1 i s an 
investigative age. 
Everything is being 
criticised. Our souls 
demand the truth. 
Truth will bear examination ; but it is not so with error. 
In the great Sabbath agitation of the present age, every 
point will receive the closest scrutiny by unbelievers. 
Christians should therefore know whereof they affirm. We 
want the divine warrant for religious institutions. Human 
authority is but as chaff to the wheat. What has the Lord 
said ? should be our inquiry. ' Thy word is a lamp unto 
my feet, and a light unto my path." "All Scripture is 
given by inspiration of God, . . . that the man of God may 
be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all .good works." 
We therefore propose to investigate the subject of the 
Sabbath with special reference to the question, What day 
should we observe as the Sabbath in this age of the w r orld? 
The public mind is interested in it. Thousands of children, 
coming to years of understanding, ask their parents why 
they observe the first day of the week, while the command- 
ment requires the seventh. We want to help these parents 
to answer that question truly. Multitudes are perplexed 
upon this point ; and we hope to assist somewhat in an- 



THE SABBATH A LIVING ISSUE 



13 



swering it. We propose to examine the Scriptures ; which 
should ever be of primal authority ; also to consider the 
statements of history bearing upon it, and thus give the 
ground a brief but faithful examination. If the Bible will 
thoroughly furnish us " unto all good works," it will enable 
us to settle this question correctly. Where shall we look 
for light upon it, if not to God's revealed truth ? " To the 
law and to the testimony ; " if they do not afford us light, 
it is useless to look to human authority. 




rm 



<*&'- 




THLOR|G|i:OF fffiMBBATH 




-m- 



CHAPTER II. 




jUR Saviour says, " The Sabbath was made for 
man." Mark 2 : 27. The term man must here 
be used in its generic sense, comprehending 
the whole race. If the Sabbath, then, was 
made for mankind, it must have been made at 
the time when man himself was created ; hence we must 
go back to the creation for the institution of the Sabbath. 
The first part of Moses' record of the creation (Genesis 1 
and 2) is devoted to the origin of the weekly cycle and the 
Sabbath institution. Here God sets before us the result of 
each day's work. He carefully distinguishes between the 
days, stating that each was composed of an " evening and a 
morning," — a dark part and a light part, — thus describing 
the twenty-four-hour day. After carefully enumerating the 
labor of six of these days, he declares that the work of 
creation is completed. 

What he did on the next day, the seventh of this first week 
of time, is stated in Gen. 2:2, 3 : " On the seventh day 
God ended his work which he had made ; and he rested 
on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it ; because 
that in it he had rested from all his work which God created 
and made." 



(14) 



THB ORIGIN OF THE SABBATH 15 

Here we have the origin of the weekly cycle, the Sabbatic 
institution, and the distinction between the days of the 
week. The Bible speaks of " the six working days " and 
"the Sabbath day." Eze. 46:1. That brief narrative in 
the very first record of the world's history, makes this dis- 
tinction plain. God himself employed six specific days of 
the first week in the labor of creating, and the seventh day 
of that week in resting. The word " Sabbath " means rest. 

Why did God choose to work just six days and rest 
the seventh? He might have made the world in a moment,, 
or he could have employed any other length of time in 
doing it. He did not rest because he was weary, for he 
" fainteth not, neither is weary." Isa. 40 : 28. No other 
reason can be assigned than this : He was laying the foun- 
dation of that glorious institution which our Saviour de- 
clares was made for the race of men, the Sabbath of the 
Lord. 

But to bring out this point still more clearly, let us 
notice carefully the language we have quoted from Gen. 
2:2, 3. The first act of God on the seventh day was to 
rest; it thus became God's rest-day, or Sabbath. His 
second act was to place his blessing upon it ; thus it became 
his " blessed " rest-day. His third act was to " sanctify " 
it. To sanctify signifies to " set apart to a holy or relig- 
ious use." — Webster. By this appointment, the seventh 
day of the week became the day of holy rest and religious 
observance for those for whom it was designed, until such 
appointment should be revoked. 

Notice how definite is the language : " God blessed the 
seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had 
rested from aH his work which God created and made." 
The blessing and sanctification of the seventh day were 
not therefore bestowed upon it until that particular day 
on which he rested was in the past. The blessing bestowed 
pertained to its future recurrence, as it returned in the weekly 
cycle. Every time it returned after this blessing was placed 





'>:'<! 



'S'lT 




5SsJ^A&Sa7H DAY 

to Keep IT HOLY 




77//; CHANGE OP THE SABBATH 

upon it, those who reverenced Cod were to 
understand that it was his blessed day, and 
must not be treated as the other six days 
were treated. It was also " sanctified," 
that is, it was now the day appointed for 
religious uses. While it was proper to use 
the other six days for secular work and 
ordinary business, the seventh day of the 
week was to be used only for religious 
purposes. All this occurred, according to 
the inspired record, at the close of creation 
week. 

It is sometimes objected that we have no 
command for the observance of the seventh- 
day Sabbath till the giving of the law to 
Israel on Mount Sinai. Such objectors fail 
to comprehend the record in Gen. 2:1-3. 
When God sanctified the seventh day, thus 
appointing it to a sacred use, he must have 
made known this fact to Adam and Eve, 
for whose benefit it was instituted. They 
stood as the representatives of the race, 
through whom the instructions from God 
were to be given. We cannot conceive 
how God could appoint this day to this 
special purpose in any other way than by 
informing them of it. 

The Hebrew word kadash, here rendered 
sanctified, is defined by Gesenius, " To pro- 
nounce holv, to sanctifv, ... to institute 
any holy thing, to appoint." This word 
in the Old Testament commonly implies a 
public appointment by proclamation. When 
the cities of refuge were set apart for that 
particular purpose, the record states (Josh. 
20:7), "They appointed [Heb. sanctified. 



(10) 



THE ORIGIN OF THE SABBATH 



margin] Kadesh in Galilee in Mount Naph- 
tali, and Shechem in Mount Ephraim," etc. 
Here we see that a public announcement 
was made of the fact to all Israel. In Joel 
i : 14 another instance is furnished : " Sanc- 
tify [i. e., appoint] ye a fast, call a solemn 
assembly, gather the elders." This could 
not be done without a public notification 
of the fact. When king Jehu wished to 
entrap the worshipers of Baal and destroy 
them, he made this public announcement : 
" Proclaim [Heb. sanctify, margin] a sol- 
emn assembly for Baal. And they pro- 
claimed it." 2 Kings 10 : 20. It would 
not have been possible to make this appoint- 
ment otherwise than by making" the people 
acquainted with the fact. 

But the most remarkable instance of this 
use of the word is found in the record of 
the sanctification of Mount Sinai. Ex. 19: 
12, 23. When the Lord was about to speak 
the ten commandments, he sent Moses 
down to command the people not to touch 
the mount, lest they be destroyed. "And 
Moses said unto the Lord, The people can- 
not come up to Mount Sinai ; for thou 
chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about 
the mount, and sanctify it." Going back 
to verse 12, we learn how this was done. 
"And thou shalt set bounds unto the poeple 
round about, saying, Take heed to your- 
selves, that ye go not up into the mount, 
or touch the border of it." Here we see 
that to sanctify the mount was to tell the 
people that God would have them treat it 
as sacred to himself. 

2 (17) 



!rom eveN 
. UNTO EVEN 
(SHALL YE, CEL- 
EBRATE. YOUft 
5ABBATH 



18 



THE CHANG n OF THE SABBATH 



From these and many other instances of the use of the 
word sanctify in the Scriptures, we must understand that 
when God sanctified the seventh day at creation, he told 
Adam and Eve that it was sacred unto the Lord. The 
statement that " God blessed the seventh day, and sancti- 
fied it " positively proves that the Lord commanded our 
first parents to treat the seventh day as holy time. It is a 
record of that fact; for in no other way could it have been 
"appointed" to such a use. This fact — that God gave 
a commandment at the creation of the world to the rep- 
resentative heads of the race, to keep holy the seventh day 
of the week — has an important bearing upon the Sabbath 
question for every succeeding age. 




THE SABBATH PREVIOUS TO THE ^ ->, 




GIVING OF THE LAW" 



CHAPTER III 




HE giving of the law, according to Usher's 
chronology, was about twenty-five centuries 
after creation week. It is interesting to trace 
the Sabbath through this long, remote period. 
The only written history extant covering it, is 
the book of Genesis, with its fifty short chapters, written 
by Moses. The facts presented in it are invaluable. It 
gives us brief glimpses of the long-lived race previous to 
the flood, and of the rise of the most powerful nations 
of succeeding ages, and of the call of Abraham, with the 
experiences of his immediate descendants. It presents most 
valuable historical instruction relative to God's plan of deal- 
ing with his creatures, and the principles of his moral gov- 
ernment. It is in no sense a bock of laws, but only a very 
brief history of the earliest ages of antiquity. 

The Weekly Cycle. 

As we have already seen, the book of Genesis commences 
with the origin of the weekly cycle, as brought to view in 
the account of creation, and the institution of the Sabbath, 
without which that cycle would never have existed. The 
division of time into days, months, and years is easily trace- 
able to nature. The revolution of the earth on its axis, 

(19) 



20 



THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 



the changes of the moon, and the circuit of the earth around 
the sun, originate these divisions of time. But no such 
origin can be found for the weekly cycle. Beyond all ques- 
tion, it owes its existence to the act of Jehovah in setting 
apart the seventh day at the 
creation of the world. Not 
even a plausible conjecture has 
ever been found for any other 
origin of it. It is a well-at- 
tested historical fact that the 
w e e k 1 v 
cycle was 
observed, 
a n d the 
seventh 
day was 
kept sa- 
cred, b y 
nearly all 
the most 
ancient 
n ation s 
of the 

earth besides the Jews. There are decisive evidences to 
show that the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Arabians, 
Greeks, and Romans, and even the Chinese, knew of the 
Sabbath, and at an early period regarded it as a sacred 
day. We may notice this point more fully hereafter, but 
will introduce brief evidences of it here. 

John G. Butler, a Free-Will Baptist author, in his " Nat- 
ural and Revealed Theology," p. 396, says: "We learn, 
also, from the testimony of Philo, Hesiod, Josephus, Por- 
phyry, and others, that the division of time into weeks and 
the observance of the seventh day were common to the 
nations of antiquity. They would not have adopted such 
a custom from the Jews. Whence, then, could it have been 




The revolution of Ihe earth on its axis, the changes of the moon, and the 
circuit of the earth around the sun, originate these divisions of time." 



THE SABBATH PREVIOUS TO SINAI 2L 

derived but through tradition, from its original institution 
in the garden of Eden? " 

The Asiatic Journal says : — 

" The prime minister of the empire affirms that the Sabbath was 
anciently observed by the Chinese, in conformity to the directions of 
the king." 

The Congregationalist (Boston), Nov. 15, 1882, referring 
to the " Creation Tablets " found by Mr. Smith on the banks 
of the Tigris, near Nineveh, gives the following : — 

"Mr. George Smith says in his 'Assyrian Discoveries' (1875) ' *I n 
the year 1869 I discovered, among other things, a curious religious 
calendar of the Assyrians, in which every month is divided into four 
weeks, and the seventh days, or Sabbaths, are marked out as days on 
which no work should be undertaken. . . . The calendar contains 
lists of work forbidden to be done on these days, which evidently 
correspond to the Sabbaths of the Jews.' " 

Much more testimony on this point might be presented, 
but this is sufficient to show that the weekly cycle and the 
Sabbath were extensively known among these ancient na- 
tions. Brief references to the same thing in the books of 
Genesis and Exodus demonstrate the existence of the week 
and the Sabbath previous to the giving of the law. 

In the history of the deluge there are several references 
to the weekly division of time. " For yet seven days, and 
I will cause it to rain upon the earth." Gen. 7 : 4. "And 
he stayed yet other seven days," etc. Gen. 8 : 10, 12. Three 
different weekly periods are brought to view in this short 
account of the flood. It could not have been accidental that 
this period of seven days should be chosen three successive 
times. It points unmistakably to the fact that the weekly 
cycle was in constant use in that age of the world. 

In the history of Jacob's marriage to the daughters of 
Laban, the week is also mentioned. " Fulfil the week of this 
one, and we will give thee the other also for the service 
which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. And 
Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week." Gen. 29: 27. 28. 



22 



THE CHANCE OF THE SABBATH 



The Sabbath is inseparably connected with the weekly di- 
vision of time ; hence, if the week existed, the Sabbath must 
also have been known. We are forced to conclude, there- 
fore, that these inhabitants of Chaldea were well ac- 
quainted with its sacred obligation. Notice the testimony, 
already referred to, of those tablets dug out of ancient ruins 
found in that country. 

The Sabbath before Sinai. 

A decisive proof that the Sabbath was well known to 
the Israelites previous to the giving of the law, is found in 
Ex. 16 : 4, 5, 22 - 30 : " Then said the Lord unto Moses, Be- 
hold, I will rain bread from heaven for you ; and the people 
shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may 
prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. And 
it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall pre- 
pare that which they bring in ; and it shall be twice as much 
as they gather daily." Then we have an account of the fall- 
ing of the manna. He continues in verses 22 - 30 : "And it 

cametopass, 



that on the 
sixth day 



flfllh 




" Notice the testimony, a'ready referred to, cf there tablets dug 
out of ancient ruins found in that country " 



they gath- 
ered twice as 
much bread, 
t w o omers 
for one man ; 
and all the 
rulers of the 
congregation 
came and told 
M oses. And 
he s a i d unto 
them, This is 
that which the 
Lord hath said, 



THE SABBATH PREVIOUS TO SINAI 23 

To-morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord ; 
bake that which ye will bake to-day, and seethe that ye will 
seethe ; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be 
kept until the morning. And they laid it up till the morning, 
as Moses bade ; and it did not stink, neither was there any 
worm therein. And Moses said, Eat that to-day ; for to-day 
is a Sabbath unto the Lord : to-day ye shall not find it in the 
field. Six days shall ye gather it ; but on the seventh day, 
which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none. And it came 
to pass that there went out some of the people on the seventh 
day for to gather, and they found none. And the Lord said 
unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments 
and my laws? See, for that the Lord hath given you the 
Sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread 
of two days ; abide ye every man in his place, let no man 
go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people 
rested on the seventh day." 

From the foregoing language the following conclusions 
are inevitable : — 

1. God had a law, of which the seventh-day Sabbath 
was a part, more than a month previous to proclaiming his 

, commandments from Mount Sinai. 

2. He proved his people by giving them bread from 
heaven, to see whether they would obey his law or not, 
the test coming on their observance of the Sabbath, which, 
therefore, must be a most important part of that law. 

3. The language shows that the people had a knowledge 
of the Sabbath, and that many of them desired to keep it 
before any commandment whatever was given them as a 
people concerning it ; for the record of their deliverance 
from Egypt does not give a single hint concerning the Sab- 
bath previous to this point. 

4. We are constrained, therefore, to conclude that when 
he says, " How long refuse ye to keep my commandments 
and my laws?" he must refer to the original institution of 
the Sabbath at creation, the knowledge of which had been 



24 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

preserved by the patriarchs and the general acquaintance of 
the ancient nations with the Sabbath. 

5. The fall of manna, which continued through the forty 
years of their wanderings, with its double portion on the 
sixth day of the week and none upon the seventh ; its being 
kept from corruption on the Sabbath, while it would soon 
spoil on other days, attested which was the true creation 
Sabbath at that time, and their perfect knowledge of it. 

An objection is sometimes offered upon the passage, " See, 
for that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath," etc., that it 
belonged wholly to the Israelites. But surely i£ must have 
had a previous existence or it would not have been proper 
to say he had given it to them. He did this in precisely the 
same sense that he gave himself to that people, and thus 
became the God of Israel. The nations had gone into idol- 
atry, or were fast doing so, rejecting alike the true God 
and the great memorial of his creation work, the Sabbath. 
He had separated from among them the descendants of 
Abraham, who still regarded both. From this time on, the 
Sabbath and the knowledge of the true God rapidly disap- 
peared from the nations of the earth, and they became 
heathen ; while the Israelites remembered God and his Sab- 
bath, and preserved the knowledge of each, to be given' 
again under more favorable auspices to the Gentile nations. 

From these considerations we cannot doubt that Israel 
regarded the Sabbath more or less sacredly while in Egyp- 
tian bondage, although it is not to be supposed that they 
could keep it as fully then as they were able to do afterward. 
It seems unreasonable to conclude, however, that they lost 
all regard for it, or that the most pious among them gave it 
no respect. God says of their great progenitor, "Abraham 
obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, 
my statutes, and my laws." We are certain that Isaac, 
Jacob, and Joseph followed the same example, and there- 
fore must have kept the Sabbath. The last two were in 
Egypt, and no doubt their kindred followed their example, 



THE SABBATH PREVIOUS TO SINAI 25 

and regarded the Sabbath as sacredly as the circumstances 
would permit. They looked back to these noble patriarchs 
with the deepest respect. They still had a regard for the 
Sabbath, as Ave learn in Exodus 16, even before the giving 
of the law. Hence it was not to them a new institution. 

In this brief account it has been plainly shown that the 
Sabbath of the Lord was given to the human family at 
creation, and was well known to those who had any regard 
for the true God. It certainly was not a Jewish institution ; 
for it existed, and was commanded to be observed by the 
God of heaven, long ages before a Jew lived. The Jews 
sprung from Judah, one of the sons of Jacob ; but the 
Sabbath was set apart in Eden for man's benefit. It was 
" made for man." 





GIVING OF THE LAW 

CHAPTER IV. 




IE now come to that sublime event in the history 
of God's dealings with mankind, the procla- 
mation of his law from Sinai. In the six- 
teenth chapter of Exodus we have the account 
of his giving his Sabbath to Israel ; in chapter 
nineteen we have the full statement of his giving himself 
to that people by a solemn covenant ; and in chapter twenty, 
the history of his committing his law to them. This was 
a wonderful honor which he conferred upon the posterity 
of Abraham, the friend of God. The Jews were indeed 
favored in this respect above all the nations of the earth. 
The apostle Paul inquires, " What advantage, then, hath 
the Jew?" and he immediately answers, " Much everyway; 
chiefly because that unto them were committed the oracles 
of God." Rom. 3 : i, 2. But while these acts honored that 
people, they in no way dishonored God, or the law, or the 
Sabbath, nor made them Jewish. 

Some thirty days after the manna began to fall, all Israel 
were camped at the base of Sinai, waiting to hear from the 
mouth of Jehovah the ten commandments. The mountain 
burned with fire, and the smoke ascended like the smoke 
of a furnace. Thunderings and lightnings were seen, and 
the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud was heard. The .solid 
earth trembled. So terrible was the sight, that Moses said, 
" I exceedingly fear and quake." The voice of God was 
then heard proclaiming the " ten words which, not only in 

(2G) 



THE SABBATH AT SINAI 27 

the Old Testament but in all revelation, are the most em- 
phatically regarded as the synopsis of all religion and 
morality." 

In this law he thus speaks of the Sabbath: — 

^H|ememDep-tKe r cSaLDDalk day to Keep n Kply. 

(^'x-dayj'^yi" tf\pu labor and do all '"iky "ujopI{;. 

kuf' \\\2 sevei\f(\ day is fl\e^abU\ of n\©JjLopd 

fkyj^od;. ir\ il* fl\pu A&H i\of do. any, ujopI^, 

fKpu, hop fky 5cn, rcp fky daugkfep, fly roatisepvanf, 

nop fky n\aiJsepvanlV i\op frvy c*ffle, i\op fry sfpangsp 

fkal" fsi cuilk. irvfky <gaJes.. JPor in six daya -Ihg^ofd 

de Ke&verv and eapfk, fKe 5ea., ar\d all ffval" 

..fl\eiT\ i5, ar\d "rested five 5evei\fk day; 

!\erefore f.f\p.%oi«d blessed ffve^abbakcW, ar\d 
ji 
Kali 



in 






Here we have a precept, " Remember the Sabbath day to 
keep it holy," then an explanation of the precept, and, 
finally, the reason why it is given. It begins with the word, 
" Remember." This word recognizes it as already existing ; 
therefore the fourth commandment did not originate the 
Sabbath. The Sabbath is a commemorative institution ; it 
plainly points us back to the creation of the world for its 
beginning. " In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, 
the sea, and all that in them is;" "wherefore [for this 
reason] the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed 
it." The Sabbath is God's memorial of creation ; hence 
every intelligent creature is under obligations to keep it. 
Tnis is far higher than any mere Jewish reason. It existed 
at the birth of the race. There is nothing about the wilder- 



28 



THE CHANGE OP THIS SABBATH 



ness of Sin or the coming out of Egypt, in this original 
Sabbath commandment. It sets forth reasons for its ob- 
servance which should convince every man and woman who 
lives on the earth. 

How forcibly these words harmonize with the historical 
account in the second chapter of Genesis : " God blessed the 
seventh day, and sanctified it, because that in it he had 
rested from all his work which God created and made." 
In the fourth commandment he states, " For in six days the 
Lord made heaven and earth," " and rested the seventh 
day ; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hal- 
lowed it." It would be folly and presumption to undertake 
to separate between the Sabbath of creation and that of 
the fourth commandment. 




"WHAT T 
COMMAND 



FOURTH 
QUTREsT 




CHAPTER V. 




'HE fourth commandment simply requires that 
day of the week to be kept holy on which the 
Creator rested. This, we have proved over 
over again, was the seventh day of the week. 
He rested on one day only of the weekly 
cycle, and this rest was long ages in the past when the 
command was given, and could not, therefore, be changed. 
Hence the fourth commandment can be made to sanction 
Sabbatizing on no other day of the week than the seventh. 
One cannot change his birthday. Independence day can- 
not be separated from the Fourth of July ; for the events 
occurring in 1776 fix it on that day, and they cannot now 
be changed. So of God's rest-day ; the facts are such that 
before it could be changed, the whole work of creation would 
have to be done over a^ain. God rested on the seventh 
day of the first week of time. We are to rest on the 
same day of the week to keep that great fact in memory. 
What would we think of the propriety of appointing some 
other day besides the fourth of July to commemorate the 
independence of these United States ? It would be no more 
absurd than to observe some other day than the seventh 
to answer the claims of the fourth commandment. 

This command is inseparably connected with the day 
of Jehovah's rest. It is the particular day of God's rest 

(29) 



30 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

which the command requires to be kept holy, and no other. 
It is not a seventh part of time that the commandment 
specifies ; neither merely one day in seven after six of labor ; 
but it is the seventh day on which God rested from the work 
of creation, which is appointed for man to keep as it comes 
to him in the weekly cycle. 

God was at this very time showing the people, by weekly 
miracles in the fall of the manna, which day this creation 
Sabbath was. There could be no doubt on this point, no 
time lost. They then had the right day from creation. The 
God of all the earth was pointing it out to them every week. 
The true weekly cycle was therefore known at the time the 
law was given. Doubtless, it had always been kept by the 
patriarchs from the time of creation to this time, as it was 
by the Jewish people till the time of Christ. 

The speaking of the law on Sinai by the Creator of the 
universe, and his writing it on the imperishable tablets of 
stone with his own finger, marks a most important epoch 
in the religious progress of the race. The fact that the crea- 
tion Sabbath was given such great prominence as to be made 
the central and most lengthy precept in it, demonstrates the 
exalted position it occupied in the Lawgiver's estimation. 
No satisfactory reason can be assigned for this high honor, 
other than that the Sabbath, which was " made for man," 
was exceedingly important for his well-being. It was the 
day for religious benefit, for spiritual improvement, — the 
day in which to remember our Creator, and that we are the 
workmanship of his hands. Mark this fact well : the princi- 
pal object of the Sabbath, according to the commandment, 
is not mere rest from physical toil. It is to be kept " holy'' 
for it was made holy at the creation. The facts of creation 
are to be remembered. Religious contemplation and rest 
from secular labor are the main objects of the day. It is 
God's day, and not ours. He has never given us this day 
to use for our purposes. 




CHAPTER VI. 




IvL theologians agree that during the fifteen 
centuries between the giving of the law on 
Mount Sinai and the resurrection of our Lord, 
the seventh day of the week was observed 
with more or less strictness by the Jewish 
people, and was obligatory upon them by divine authority. 
We shall not, therefore, devote much time to its con- 
sideration during this period, but we will notice a few 
prominent points. 

That law of which the Sabbath was a part, spoken by 
God upon Mount Sinai, was written by his own finger on 
two tables of stone, thus indicating its enduring character ; 
and being placed within the ark in the most holy place of 
the sanctuary, beneath the mercy seat, where, between the 
cherubim, the visible presence of God rested, it was the 
central object of interest in their system of religion. Ex. 
3i:i3; Deut. 4:12, 13; 5:22; 10:1-5; Ex. 40:20, 21. 
The Sabbath is mentioned in various scriptures during 
this long period, showing that it was observed by the pious 
among that people ; while there are many reproofs given 
by the sacred writers for transgressions of the Sabbath law. 
Neh. 10:31, 33; 2 Kings 4:23; Amos 8:4-6; Isa. 56: 
1-8, etc. 

tsij 



32 



run ciiAKcn or run sabbath 



One striking fact showing God's regard for the Sabbath 
is found in the prophecy of Jeremiah (chap. 17:20-27): 
" Hear ye the word of the Lord, ye kings of Judah, and 
all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter 




" Bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day." 



in by these gates : Thus saith the Lord, Take heed to your- 
selves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring 
it in by the gates of Jerusalem ; neither carry forth a burden 
out of your houses on the Sabbath day ; neither do ye any 



FROM SINAI TO CHRIST 33 

work, but hallow ye the Sabbath day, as I commanded your 
fathers. But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, 
but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor re- 
ceive instruction. And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently 
hearken unto me, saith the Lord, to bring in no burden 
through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but hal- 
low the Sabbath day, to do no work therein, then shall 
there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes 
sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and 
on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and 
the inhabitants of Jerusalem ; and this city shall REMAIN 
FOREVER. And they shall come from the cities of Ju- 
dah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the 
land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the moun- 
tains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and 
sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and bringing 
sacrifices of praise, unto the house of the Lord. But if 
ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the Sabbath day. 
and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates 
of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then will I kindle a fire 
in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Je- 
rusalem, and it shall net be quenched." 

On this text Dr. Adam Clarke comments thus : " From 
this and the following verses we find the ruin of the Jews 
attributed to the breach of the Sabbath ; as this led to a neg- 
lect of sacrifice, the ordinances of religion, and all public 
worship, so it necessarily brought with it all immorality. 
This breach of the Sabbath was that which let in upon 
them all the waters of God's wrath." 

What could exalt the importance of the Sabbath more 
than these statements of Holy Writ? Had they kept the 
Sabbath sacredly, other religious blessings would have fol- 
lowed, and would have preserved their city and nation for- 
ever ; whereas their neglect of the Sabbath ultimately caused 
their ruin as a nation. They were very lax in its observance 
previous to their captivity in Babylon, and were often re- 



34 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

proved for this. But after their return, they were much 
more strict ; indeed, they were so particular in regard to 
its observance that they would sometimes suffer themselves 
to be overcome rather than fight on the Sabbath. They 
would not attack their enemies on that day, even when their 
neglect to do so endangered their safety. Josephus gives 
many instances of this kind. ("Antiquities," b. 12, chap. 
6; and b. 13, chap. 1; also the books of the Maccabees.) 

Tradition Exalted by the Jews . 

Previous to the time of Christ, and after the Lord's 
prophets ceased to appear, the Jews became very fond of 
tradition, exalting it even above the authority of the Scrip- 
tures. Many instances of this kind are given in the Gos- 
pels. Christ sharply reproved the Jews on this point. There 
was no requirement of God more abused by tradition than 
the Sabbath ; indeed, it was greatly perverted from its 
original design by this means. 

Dr. Justin Edwards, in his " Sabbath Manual," pages 
214, 215, gives the following list: " They enumerated about 
forty primary works, which they said were forbidden to 
be done on the Sabbath. Under each of these were numer- 
ous secondary works, which they said were also forbidden. 
. . . Among the primary works which were forbidden, were 
plow'ng, sowing, reaping, winnowing, cleaning, grinding, 
etc. Under the head of grinding was included the break* 
ing or dividing of things which were before united. 

" Another of their traditions w r as, that, as threshing on 
the Sabbath was forbidden, the bruising of things, which 
was a species of threshing, was also forbidden. Of course, 
it was a violation of the Sabbath to walk on green grass ; 
for that would bruise or thresh it. So, as a man might not 
hunt on the Sabbath, he might not catch a flea ; for that was 
a species of hunting. 

" As a man might not carry a burden on the Sabbath, he 
might not carry water to a thirsty animal ; for that w T as a 



FROM SINAI TO CHRIST 



85 



species of burden ; but he might pour water into a trough, 
and lead the animal to it. . . . Yet, should a sheep fall 
into a pit, they would readily lift him out, and bear him 
to a place of safety. . . . 

" They said a man might minister to the sick for the pur- 
pose of relieving their distress, but not for the purpose of 




"Yet, should a sheep fall into a pit, they would readily lift him out." 



healing their diseases. He might put a covering on a dis- 
eased eye, or anoint it with eye -salve for the purpose of 
easing the pain, but not to cure the eye." 

These foolish traditions, when carried out, made the Sab- 
bath a burdensome yoke instead of the merciful institution 
which God designed it should be, a delight and blessing to 
his creatures. How wonderfully this explains many of the 
references to the Sabbath in the Gospels ! 

The Jews found fault with Christ because he paid no 
respect to these traditions. But he found fault with them 
for making the commandments of God of none effect by 
their tradition. Matt. 15:4-9. The Pharisees accused him 
of breaking the Sabbath, because he healed the sick (Matt. 
12:9-14), cast out devils (Luke 4*33-36), gave sight 
to the blind (John 9 : 1 - 16), permitted his disciples to pluck 
and rub out the wheat heads and eat (Matt. 12: 1 -8), and 
directed a man to carry his bed — a burden like a cloak or 
mat — (Matt. 9:1-6), on the Sabbath day. 



ao THU CHANGE OP TUB SABBATH 

Christ Kept the Seventh Day. 

Modern enemies to the seventh-clay Sabbath have some- 
times united with the ancient haters of Christ in accusing 
our Lord of being a transgressor of the law, i. e., a sinner. 
But it is impossible to show a single instance where he 
violated the Sabbath commandment. Had he done so, he 
would not have been sinless ; he could not have been our 
Saviour. The law would have condemned him; for all 
admit that, it was obligatory all through Christ's ministry 
till his crucifixion. We utter an emphatic protest against 
thus attributing disobedience to God, our only perfect ex- 
ample. Just as he was about to be offered for the sins of 
others, he declared, " I have kept my Father's command- 
ments." John 15:10. He certainly had not broken them 
if he had kept them, and the Sabbath command was one of 
those which he had kept. 

Our Saviour constantly justified his course against the 
accusers, who claimed that he or his disciples had broken 
the Sabbath. When they complained because his disciples 
had plucked and eaten the wheat, he declared they were 
"guiltless." Matt. 12:7. They had not broken the law. 
They had only violated one of those human traditions. 
When he healed the man whose hand was withered (Matt. 
12:9- 14), they sought to destroy him for it; but he de- 
clared his course in thus doing well was " lawful," i. e., 
according to law. He had done no wrong. But they had 
erected their traditions, as we have seen, and they were 
angry because he would not regard them. 

The time had come for Christ to strip off these wretched 
perversions of God's truth, and restore the law to its own 
naked purity. He says, " In vain they do worship me, 
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Matt. 
15:9. Our Saviour ever exalted the law of his Father, 
and taught its eternal perpetuity. Matt. 5:17-20; 15: 



FROM SINAI TO CHRIST 27 

1-20; 19:16-22; 22:34-40; etc., etc. The Sabbath is 
an important part of this law. 

It was our Saviour's " custom " to attend divine service 
on the seventh-day Sabbath, and to instruct the people. 
Luke 4:16. "Custom" implies a constant practice. He 
placed the most distinguished honor upon it, by teaching 
that the Sabbath was made for the race of man, and that 
he was its Lord. Mark 2 : 27, 23. It was not made merely 
for the Jews, but for all men. This statement recognizes 
its existence when man was first created. This was some 
twenty-three centuries before Judah, the father of the Jew- 
ish people, was born. Hence oar Saviour teaches that it 
was in no sense a Jewish institution. 

Christ the Lord of the Sabbath. 

The fact that God's only begotten Son claims to be the 
" Lord of the Sabbath," is the highest honor which could 
be conferred upon it. Some in these days greatly mis- 
understand and pervert this important fact. They would 
have us believe that because he is its Lord, therefore he 
might conclude to set it aside, change it, or abolish it al- 
together. A strange conclusion ! Christ is Lord of his 
people. ' Ye call me Master and Lord, and ye say well, 
for so I am." But we do not conclude, therefore, that he 
will destroy or abolish his people because he is their Lord. 
Sarah called Abraham lord. 1 Peter 3 : 6. She certainly 
did not have the remotest idea he would destroy her. We 
read of the House of Lords of England. This title of 
high honor does not signify that they are the destroyers 
of the people. The word rather implies a protector, a guar- 
dian, one who will defend the rights of those over whom 
he is lord. 

The fact that the Son of God is Lord of the Sabbath 
implies that he understands its nature, origin, and rights 
better than any one else, and will guard them sacredly. 
And why should he not? Christ himself made the world. 



38 



THE CHANGE 01 ; THE SABBATH 



John 1:3; Col. 1: 16; Heb. 1:2. He was present, and 
performed the very acts which laid the foundation of the 
Sabbath. He rested, therefore, himself from his acts of 
creation. He was also with the church in the wilderness 
when the commandments were spoken. Ex. 23:20, 21 ; 
Acts 7 : 37, 38 ; 1 Cor. 10 : 4. The Sabbath is, then, the 
Lord's day in a special sense. Thus we have traced the 
seventh day with an unvarying sanctity from creation to 
the crucifixion of Christ. 




Did our s 

PEFOR 




CHAPTER VII. 




'HERE is a general agreement among leading 
commentators and ministers of nearly all de- 
nominations that the Sabbath was kept in the 
garden of Eden by Adam and Eve, and that it 
came down through the patriarchal age as an 
institution of Jehovah, unimpaired in its obligation, and that 
the commandment given on Mount Sinai simply repeats 
the events which occurred at the close of the first week of 
time. All Christians believe that the Israelites were under 
obligation to keep the seventh day till the resurrection of 
Christ ; but concerning its obligation since that time, opin- 
ions widely differ. Many Christians believe that the seventh 
day ceased to be the Sabbath, and that the first day of the 
week, upon which Christ rose from the dead, took its place 
as the Sabbath, by divine appointment, to be kept through- 
out the new dispensation. Others believe that the Sabbath 
law was abolished, and that we have no sacred day of rest 
now binding upon us. 

Before examining the evidence usually adduced in sup- 
port of Sunday-keeping, it may be well to look briefly to 
the probabilities of the case. Could we reasonably expect 
that the Sabbath day, which had been kept for four thousand 
years, would be set aside, and another day, hitherto used for 
secular purposes, substituted? This would indeed be an 
act requiring great changes both in the lives and in the 
habits of the people, — one which would attract universal 

f39) 



40 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

attention. No one claims that the first day of the week 
had ever been recognized as a sacred day in any sense what- 
ever among the Jewish people before the crucifixion of 
Christ. The seventh day had always, from the Exodus up 
to that point, been recognized by them as a weekly Sabbath. 
All admit that there never was a period in their history 
when it was more universally and strictly regarded than 
during our Saviour's ministry. Indeed, they carried their 
strictness to a great extreme, till it had become a burden- 
some yoke. 

This was the condition of things at the death of Christ. 
And the disciples and early believers, for several years after 
the crucifixion, were every one of Jewish birth, trained from 
their infancy to the strictest observance of the seventh-day 
Sabbath. No Gentile was converted till Cornelius received 
a visit from St. Peter about three and a half years after 
the ascension. Acts 10. Now, are we to suppose that all 
these Jews who believed in Christ suddenly changed their 
Sabbath day from the one they had always observed, and 
yet no record whatever was made concerning it? No com- 
mand whatever for them to do this is claimed by any one. 
We cannot conceive of anything more improbable. Within 
a short time after Christ's ascension, many thousands of 
pious Jews accepted the gospel. These not only regarded 
the moral law as binding, but still continued zealous ob- 
servers of the ceremonial law. Many of them went so far 
as to teach that Gentiles must be circumcised also, and thus 
caused the apostles Paul and Barnabas great trouble. They 
were oreat sticklers for the rites and services of the law 
of Moses. Acts 15: I, 5; 21: 20, 21. This feeling affected 
some even of the apostles, so that they requested Paul him- 
self to show his respect for these Jewish customs. They 
evidently considered every Jewish convert under obligation 
to treat the ceremonial law with deference. 

Can we suppose, then, without evidence of the strongest 
kind, that all at once they would drop the observance of 



DID OUR SAVIOUR CHANGE THli SABBATH/ 41 

the day they had always regarded as the Sabbath, and com- 
mence to observe another which they had never kept ? Con- 
sider what a great change this would imply. The Jewish 
people had complained bitterly of Jesus because he would 
not treat with respect their traditions concerning the Sab- 
bath, and tried to make it appear that he was a Sabbath- 
breaker. Because he healed several persons of disease on 
the Sabbath day, or permitted his disciples to rub out the 
wheat heads when they were hungry, they made a great 
outcry, and tried to effect his condemnation. What shall 
we think, then, of the position which supposes that thou- 
sands of his disciples openly broke the Sabbath they had 
always kept before^ and began the observance of the first 
day of the week as another Sabbath, when no complaint 
on the part of the Jews can be cited? It is true that not 
a word of censure can be found in all the gospel history 
after Christ's crucifixion because of the disciples' breaking 
the Sabbath. When we consider that these very disciples 
were persecuted bitterly by the Jews, who were most glad 
to find any occasion against them, would not such an 
omission be indeed most marvelous if the apostles were 
not still keeping the seventh-day Sabbath? And is not 
this fact evidence most positive that they did continue to 
observe it as before? 

A change in the observance of a weekly Sabbath from 
the one which is customary in any community, always marks 
as peculiar those who do so. If they rest while others are 
busy, it is quickly noticed ; if they work while the great 
majority rest, they are still more conspicuous. Even in this 
age of lax Sunday observance, when so many pay but little 
regard to it, let a person begin to keep the seventh day as 
the Sabbath, and he will be marked for miles around. He 
will be watched, and his course commented upon. Minis- 
ters in their pulpits will warn their hearers against such an 
example. And m some instances he will be arrested, if the 
laws will permit of it, even while men fish and hunt openly, 



42 



run chang n on run sabbath 



and railway trains run regularly, and other business is 
transacted. 

What, then, would have been the effect at such a time 
of Jewish strictness in observing the seventh day, had the 
disciples no longer kept it, but taken up another day, never 



J 







Even while men fish and hunt openly, and railway trains run regularly, and other 
business is transacted." 



before held sacred, as the Sabbath ? — Every one of them 
would have been arrested and brought before the magis- 
trates, charged with Sabbath-breaking, and most likely 
would have been either imprisoned or stoned. The law 
existing and at that time universally acknowledged as in 
full authority, would have been on the side of the Jews. 
But not a single instance of the kind occurred, proving most 
emphatically that all these disciples continued to observe 
the seventh-day Sabbath as they always had, and as the 
people around them did. Hence it is utterly improbable 
that any change in the practice of Sabbath-keeping on the 
part of the disciples occurred at the time of Christ's 
resurrection. 

Evidence in the Evangelists. 

What does the sacred record say concerning the Sabbath 
and first day during this time ? All of the four Evangelists 
speak of the Sabbath and first day in close connection with 



DID OUR SAVIOUR CHANGE THE SABBATH/ 43 

Christ's resurrection. If any change of the Sabbath was 
ever made by divine authority, it must have been done at 
that time. All believers in the sacredness of Sunday admit 
this. They claim that previous to Christ's resurrection the 
seventh day was the Sabbath by divine appointment ; but 
subsequent to that event, the first day of the week was to 
be observed by Christians. They teach that this change 
was by the authority and example of Christ himself. 

The only historical record existing in our world of the 
events occurring in connection with our Lord's life, is that 
given by the four evangelists, — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and 
John. These are emphatically Christian historians. We de- 
pend on them for our knowledge of the facts concerning the 
life and incarnation of the Son of God. They wrote for the 
Christian world in all ages. They were devoted Christians 
themselves. They were inspired by the Holy Spirit ; for 
Christ promised that it should bring all things to their re- 
membrance, whatsoever he had said unto them. John 14 : 26. 
These things they wrote for our instruction ; and we must 
suppose they call things by their right names, and use lan- 
guage correctly, else their writings would not be reliable. 

It is supposed by the best authorities that Matthew wrote 
his Gospel about six years after Christ's ascension ; Mark, 
about ten years ; Luke, about twenty-eight years ; and John, 
about sixty-three years. These historians, then, being 
Christians, writing for the Christians of all ages, and writ- 
ing, too, many years after the Christian dispensation had 
begun, must have given all the facts essential to a perfect 
understanding of the doctrines of the gospel. Do they 
give us to understand that any change of the Sabbath had 
occurred and that the first day of the week had now be- 
come the weekly Sabbath by Christ's appointment, while 
the seventh day had ceased to be such ? Had such a change 
occurred, they must have been aware of it ; and if 
they do not mention it, we may be sure no such change had 
been made. We will now notice every instance in which 



44 



run chanch of the sabbath 



they speak of these two days in connection with Christ's 
resurrection. 

Matthew 's Testimony. 

Matthew says : " In the end of the Sabbath, as it began 
to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Mag- 
dalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher." Matt. 




In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary 
Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher." 



28: I. Sunday-keepers claim that six years before this was 
written, the Sabbath was changed and the first day of the 
week made the Sabbath. But Matthew states that the day 
before the first day was the Sabbath, and that the first day 
of the week did not come till the end of the Sabbath. Did 
the Spirit of God, speaking through this Christian histo- 
rian, tell the truth? If so, the day before the first day of 
the week, viz., the seventh day, was still the Sabbath. 
Surely, nothing is said by this Evangelist implying any 
change. 



DID OUR SAVIOUR CHANGE THE SABBATH? 45 

Mark's Testimony. 

Mark gives this statement : " And when the Sabbath 
was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, 
and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come 
and anoint him. And very early in the morning, the first 
day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising 
of the sun." " Now when Jesus was risen early the first 
day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, 
out of whom he had cast seven devils." Mark 16: I, 2, 9. 
These words, written some ten years after the events re- 
corded, state that the Sabbath was past before the first day 
of the week began. First-day writers tell us that Mark, 
with the other disciples, had been keeping the first day of 
the week as the Sabbath for ten years when he wrote this. 
Can we believe such a statement? Would he apply " Sab- 
bath " to a day which he did not regard as such, and re- 
frain from calling the one*" Sabbath " which he did observe ? 
This would be most surprising, yea, utterly unreasonable. 
We must conclude that Mark still acknowledged the 
ancient Sabbath as identical with the one he observed. 

Luke's Testimony. 

Xuke speaks of these days as follows: "That day was 
'the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on. And the women, 
also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and 
beheld the sepulcher, and how his body was laid. And 
they returned, and prepared spices and ointments ; and 
rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment. 
Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morn- 
ing, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which 
they had prepared, and certain others with them." Luke 
23:54-56; 24: 1. 

More than twenty years after the supposed change of the 
Sabbath, this historian, perfectly conversant with the facts 
of gospel history (Luke 1:3), makes these statements: 



40 THE CHANGE OF TIJli SABBATH 

( i) The clay previous to the first day of the week was the 
Sabbath; (2) It was the " Sabbath day according to the 
commandment;" (3) The holy women, the affectionate 
companions of Christ, still kept it as such ; (4) They did 
things on the first day of the week they would not do on the 
Sabbath, i. c, came to do the laborious work of embalming 
a dead body, thus showing conclusively that they had not 
yet learned that any sacredness was attached to Sunday. 

From these plain facts we must conclude, first, that Luke 
had not been keeping Sunday as the Sabbath during the 
twenty-eight years since Christ's crucifixion, or he would 
have given it that title, and not called the day before it such. 

Secondly, if the day before the first day of the week was 
the " Sabbath day according to the commandment," as Inspi- 
ration says, then most certainly the commandment does not 
at the same time require or authorize us to keep Sunday. 
The same command does not require us to keep two different 
days. " Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." ' The 
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God," conse- 
quently Sunday is not the Sabbath according to the com- 
mandment. 

Thirdly, this commandment does have an authorita- 
tive existence this side of the cross of Christ ; for it still 
required these women to rest on the seventh day. It had 
not expired when Christ was crucified, nor had it been 
" nailed to the cross ; " for an abolished commandment can 
require nothing. If it existed one day this side of the cross, 
it still exists ; and no one claims it was abolished unless done 
at the cross. Therefore, the law requiring the observance 
of the seventh-day Sabbath still exists. Nothing whatever 
in this connection indicates any change of the Sabbath. 

John's Testimony. 

John speaks as follows : ' The first day of the week 
cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto 
the sepulcher, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepul- 



DID OUR SAVIOUR CHANGE THE SABBATH? 47 

cher." ' Then the same day at evening, being the first day of 
the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were 
assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the 
midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you." John 
20: i, 19. These words were written by the "beloved dis- 
ciple " more than sixty years after the resurrection of our 
Lord, after nearly all the other disciples who were person- 
ally acquainted with our Saviour had passed away. If he 
had been keeping Sunday as the only true Sabbath, or giv- 
ing it any divine honor during this time, who can believe he 
would not have indicated it in some way ? But he does not ; 
he simply calls it by its usual secular title, — the one by which 
it had been known for four thousand years. He attaches 
no sacredness to it whatever. He does not call it the Sab- 
bath or the Lord's day, and gives no command for its ob- 
servance, not a hint of any superiority above the working 
days ; nor do any of these writers. 

There are certain claims put forth by first-day writers 
concerning this last-mentioned instance, which we will 
notice in due time. We know of no first-day advocate who 
claims to find any evidence of Sunday sacredness, or of a 
change of the Sabbath, in any of these six instances where 
the first day of the. week is mentioned, except the one last 
quoted. If the Sabbath was changed, is this not surprising? 
If it was ever changed by divine authority, here is the point 
where all admit the change must have been wrought ; yet 
none of the Christian historians who give any record of the 
events where this change is supposed to have occurred, 
mention such a change, or give a single hint of it. They 
w r te at different periods for about two thirds of a century, 
and give an account of all the events in Christ's life and 
all of h-B teachings which the Holy Spirit thought necessary 
for the proper instruction of the generations to come, but 
tailed entirely to mention or notice any change of the Sab- 
bath. On the contrary, they state positively, over and over, 



48 THE CHANGE Of THE SABBATH 

that that day was still the Sabbath which had been since 
God instituted it. 

The Law Honored by Christ. 

We may well inquire at this point, Why should any per- 
son suppose the Son of God would desire to change the cre- 
ation Sabbath? This day was a memorial of the Creator, 
given to man as he was made, to be kept, and was perpetu- 
ated through all. the patriarchal ages. Placed in God's 
moral law of ten commandments by the Creator himself, pro- 
claimed by his voice and written by his finger in the im- 
perishable tablets of stone ; deposited in the ark under the 
mercy-seat, the very center of that whole system of worship, 
in the most holy place of the sanctuary and temple ; honored 
as God's day for four thousand years, — why should Christ 
desire to change it for another day ? Was there lack of 
sympathy and union between the Father and the Son? Je- 
sus says, "I and my Father are one." John 10:30. He 
prayed that his disciples might be one as he and his Father 
are. John 17: 11, 21. This oneness is not in personality, 
but in purpose, in effort. They are perfectly united in all 
they do. Would the Son then set aside his Father's me- 
morial, and institute another to take its place? 

The prophet declares that the Messiah " will magnify 
the law, and make it honorable." Isa. 42:21. The Sab- 
bath was an important part of that law. Could he make 
the law honorable by abolishing the Sabbath, which was a 
part of it, or changing it to another day? Such changes 
would disgrace rather than honor it. It would be a strange 
way to make a thing honorable, nby putting it out of 
existence. 

When the Messiah came, he declared that he, did not 
come to destroy the law. ' Till heaven and earth pass, one 
jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all 
be fulfilled. Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these 
least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be 



DID OUR SAVIOUR CHANGE THE SABBATH? 49 

called the least [be of no esteem, as Whiting translates it] 
in the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 5:17-19. Therefore 
every portion of the law shall continue till the heavens 
pass away. This must include the Sabbath which that law 
enjoins. Thus our Saviour magnified every part of the law. 
Christ declares he " kept his Father's commandments." 
John 15: 10. Is not his example to be followed by all his 
disciples? He declares himself " the Lord of the Sabbath," 
and says it was " made for man." Mark 2 : 27, 28. The 
word " Lord " here must be used in the sense of protector 
or guardian, and not destroyer. Sarah called Abraham 
" lord " (1 Peter 3:6); she certainly did not mean that he 
was her destroyer. We call Christ " our Lord ; " we mean 
he has authority over us, cares for us, and looks after our 
welfare. This was what he intended to do for the Sab- 
bath, according to this statement. Most assuredly, then, 
he did not abolish it, or change it for a secular day. 

A Memorial. 

But would not Christ desire to change the Sabbath to 
the first day of the week, that he might have a memorial 
set apart to commemorate his own work? Many claim 
this. We reply, The seventh-day Sabbath answered this 
very purpose. Who was the active agent in making this 
world, in calling into existence this creation ? — The Son 
of God. He it was who " made the worlds ; " " for by him 
were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in 
earth." Heb. 1:2; Col. 1 : 16. God " created all things by 
Jesus Christ." Eph. 3 : 9. "All things were made " by 
Christ, the Word. John 1 : 3. Therefore the seventh-day 
Sabbath, which is a memorial of the work of creation, Christ 
himself taking six days in which to perform this grand orig- 
ination, commemorates the work of the Son as much as that 
of the Father. We thus see beauty and propriety in the 
language of Jesus, when he calls himself the " Lord of the 
Sabbath." The miserable perversion of the institution by 

4- 



50 



THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 



Jewish traditions, from one of gratitude, mercy, and re- 
freshment to a burdensome yoke, demanded such action 
from one of the founders of the Sabbath. 

The Destruction of Jerusalem. 

One of the last instructions of our Lord to his disciples, 
about two days before his crucifixion, shows his interest 
in them and his solicitude for the Sabbath : " Pray ye that 
your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day." 
Matt. 24 : 20. He was foretelling the terrible destruction 
of Jerusalem, and giving his disciples directions how to es- 
cape it. Eleven hundred thousand Jews, rejecting that in- 




" When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the Desolation thereof 

is nigh." 

struction, miserably perished. He says, " When ye shall 
see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the 
desolation thereof is nigh." Luke 21 : 20. Some little 
time previous to the final surrounding of Jerusalem by the 
Roman army under Vespasian and Titus, the sign was ful- 
filled. Cestius, another general, did compass Jerusalem 
with a Roman army, and according to Josephus ("Jewish 
Wars," book 2, chap. 19) might easily have taken it ; but 
" he retired from the city without any reason." Where- 
upon, every Christian left the city, and fled away to Pella, 
sixty miles distant. When the Romans returned to invest 
the city, the disciples were in safety. 

Christ foretold this event, and instructed his followers to 
pray that the time of this flight might not occur upon the 



DID OUR SAVIOUR CHANGE THE SABBATH? 51 

Sabbath day or during the winter season. In the latter case 
it would have involved much suffering, as they were to go 
in the greatest haste. No other reason can be given why 
they were instructed to pray that their flight might not be 
on the Sabbath, than the Lord's desire that they should not 
be compelled to break it in order to escape. 

For nearly forty years, the disciples in Judea, as instructed 
by the Lord of the Sabbath, were to plead with God that 
their flight might not occur on the Sabbath. This proves, 
(i) That there was to be a Sabbath in the year a. d. 70, 
when Jerusalem was destroyed; (2) That this was certainly 
the Sabbath which was in existence when Christ spoke these 
words, viz., the seventh-day Sabbath, as it would be most 
absurd to suppose that Christ spoke of any other day than 
the one they were then keeping ; ( 3 ) That we have here the 
strongest indication of the Saviour's desire that his disciples 
should keep the ancient Sabbath after the Christian dispen- 
sation had begun. 

If he wished them to keep it, is not his desire just as 
great that we should keep it? Could such an injunction 
be found in the words of Christ, that the disciples should 
thus regard Sunday, how eagerly would first-day observers 
claim it as evidence in their favor! 

In view of these considerations, we again ask, Why should 
any one conclude that Christ had the remotest idea of in- 
stituting another Sabbath, and setting aside the ancient Sab- 
bath of four thousand years' standing? No intimation of 
it is given in a word of his or of his historians. That 
ancient Sabbath had answered all the wants of God's pa- 
triarchs, prophets, and holy men for all these ages. He 
had told the Jews that if they would keep it sacred, their 
city should stand forever. Jer. 17:25. Christ himself had 
observed it all his life, as had all his disciples. What reason 
can be assigned for its being changed? Do not Christians 
as well as Jews need to keep in mind the great work of crea- 
tion? We must conclude that no such change occurred. 



C0N5IDER®0I®F '^A^®\S§TGNED FOR 



wf 



«sv 



,S\CgEBNE8 




CHAPTER VIII. 




E will now briefly notice the leading reasons 
given for the supposed change of the Sabbath. 

John 20:19. 

" Then the same day at evening, being the 
first day of the week, when the doors were shut where 
the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came 
Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace 
be unto you." 

It is supposed by many that the disciples were assembled 
to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus, and that when 
he came among them and said, " Peace be unto you," he 
indicated his approval of their act in assembling upon that 
day, and thus honored the first " Christian Sabbath." But 
does the language justify such an inference? From this 
and other scriptures we draw these conclusions : — 

1. The reason the disciples were together was " for fear 
of the Jews," and not to celebrate Christ's resurrection. 

2. The place of their meeting was undoubtedly the 
upper room where they all abode (Acts 1 : 13), and not the 
temple or any other house of worship. 

3. The time of this meeting must have been very late 
in the day, just before sunset. (By the Bible mode of reck- 
oning time, the day closed at evening, or sundown. Gen. 
1:5; Lev. 23:32; Mark 1:32.) We are forced to this 
conclusion from the facts stated by the other evangelists, 
and because St. John declares it was evening. Luke gives 

rss) 



RBASONS FOR SUNDA Y SACRBDNBSS 53 

an account of the journey of two disciples to Emmaus, seven 
and a half miles, that very afternoon, and of how Jesus 
made himself known to them " as they sat at meat," after 
conversing with them and explaining the Scripture predic- 
tions concerning himself. Then he " vanished out of their 
sight." This was " toward evening," and " the day was 
far spent." Then they " returned to Jerusalem, and found 
the eleven gathered together, and them that were with 
them." As they spoke of what had transpired, Jesus ap- 
peared. This must be the identical meeting spoken of by 
John, for he uses the same expression, " Peace be unto you," 
and it was at the same time of day. He then asked them, 
" Have ye here any meat ? " and ate in their presence. Mark 
records the same meeting. He gives a brief account of 
the two as they walked and went into the country, and of 
his appearing unto them ; and states that the other disciples 
did not believe them. "Afterward he appeared unto the 
eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their 
unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not 
them which had seen him after he was risen." Mark 16: 
12 - 14. 

4. We are forced to conclude that they could not have 
been celebrating or honoring Christ's resurrection, for they 
did not believe it had occurred. 

5. We can see clearly how the disciples regarded this first 
day of the week, as two of them walked to Emmaus and 
back, a distance of fifteen miles, and Jesus made the same 
journey, and not a hint did he give that such a use of the 
day was wrong. A strange way to celebrate the day, if 
it was the first " Christian Sabbath " ! They simply re- 
garded it as a secular day, and nothing more. 

The little flock of disciples were in a retired place, fearing 
the Jews, who had just crucified their Lord. A few of 
their number ventured out to the sepulcher to embalm the 
Saviour's body, and were astonished to find it was not 
there. A few others went into the country. What a con- 



54 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

trast to the origin of the Sabbath of the Lord ! The Creator 
" rested " upon it himself ; then he " blessed " it, and set 
it apart to a sacred use, evidently by telling Adam how to 
keep it. His example and command were both given in 
its favor. But how different with this first day, on which 
Christ rose ! If there is any divine authority for keeping 
Sunday, this day must have been the first of the new order 
of Sabbaths. But it was a busy day. Christ gave no ex- 
ample of resting upon it ; he gave no command for his 
disciples to rest, nor did he hold any religious service on 
that day. Some of his disciples traveled fifteen miles on 
foot upon it, he keeping them company in thus laboring. 
Not a hint is given in all the Bible that it should be used 
in any other manner than as a day for labor. Who can 
believe that God would in such a manner set aside the 
ancient Sabbath of his own appointment, and put in its 
place a new day, never giving a hint that the old one was 
abolished or the new inaugurated ? 

John 20:26. 

We next notice the claim that it was customary for Christ 
to meet with his disciples on the first day of the week, thus 
giving evidence of his regard for it, and proof of its sacred- 
ness. " And after eight days again his disciples were 
within, and Thomas with them ; then came Jesus, the doors 
being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto 
you." 

This scripture, in connection with the one just noticed, 
is relied upon to prove that it was the practice of Jesus 
to meet with his disciples on the first day of the week, 
between his resurrection and his ascension. It will be noticed 
that the record does not say that it was on the first day of 
the week when Christ had this interview with Thomas and 
the disciples. The statement is that it was " after eight 
days " from the previous meeting. That previous meeting 
was at the very close of the first day, most of it probably 



REASONS FOR SUNDAY SACRBDNBSS 



55 



occurring on the day following. It is claimed that the ex- 
pression " after eight days " signifies just a week. But what 
proof is there of this? " After seven days " is the expres- 
sion employed by inspiration when defining a week. Com- 
pare I Chron. 9:25 with 2 Kings 11:5. The expression 
''after six days" (Matt. 17: 1) is given by another writer, 
" about an eight days after.'' Luke 9 : 28. On what grounds, 
then, shall we conclude that " after eight days " really means 
seven days or less? From the closing hour of Sunday, a 
period of time covered by the expression " after eight days," 
if the language be taken literally, would reach at least to 
the Monday night or Tuesday morning of the next week. 
How, then, can one rightfully claim that this meeting oc- 
curred on the first day of the week? It must be evident 
that this meeting was held because of the presence of 
Thomas, who was absent on the previous occasion, and not 
to honor any particular day of the week. Had the latter 




"Another prominent meeting held with his disciples was on a fishing occasion." 



object been in view, the record would most certainly tell 
us what day of the week it was, and not use such an in- 
definite expression as " after eight days." 

But even if we grant all our first-day friends claim, viz., 



56 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

that the meeting in question did occur on the first day of the 
week, what evidence is thereby furnished in behalf of Sun- 
day sacredness ? Our Saviour ascended to heaven on Thurs- 
day, just forty days from his resurrection. Acts 1 : 3. 
Another prominent meeting held with his disciples was on 
a fishing occasion. John 21:3-25. This was the third 
occasion that Christ manifested himself to his disciples. 
Verse 14. Our friends will hardly claim that this visit 
occurred on Sunday. 

There were five first-days between the crucifixion and 
the ascension. No mention whatever is made of any of 
these five first-days, excepting the first one, on which he 
rose from the dead. If we admit that " after eight days " 
occurred on the second of those five first-days, which we 
are sure is not true, what could that pro've? The evidence 
would then come far short of proving a custom, since the 
two following meetings — the fishing occasion and the 
ascension — were not on that day. A " custom " is a long- 
continued practice. More than two instances are required 
to constitute a " custom." The " custom " of our Saviour 
was to honor the Sabbath of the Lord, and teach the people 
on that day. Luke 4:16. It is utterly impossible to es- 
tablish such a custom of his with reference to Sunday. 

Acts 2:11 

The pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the day of pente- 
cost is supposed by many to be an evidence in favor of 
first-day sacredness. The Bible record is as follows : 
" When the day ot pentecost was fully come, they were all 
with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came 
a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it 
filled all the house where they were sitting." 

It is well to notice that not a word is said in the text 
about the first day of the week. Yet this is regarded by the 
adherents of Sunday sacredness as one of the strongest 
evidences in its behalf. It is claimed that the disciples 



REASONS FOR SUNDA Y SA C REDNESS 57 

were assembled on this first-day Sabbath, and that the 
Lord poured out his Spirit in honor of the day and of 
their act, thus adding to its sanctity. To this claim we 
answer : — 

1. There is no evidence whatever that there was any 
first-day Sabbath at that time to commemorate. 

2. Their being assembled on that day was nothing more 
than had occurred on each of the previous nine days, as 
they were all commanded by the Saviour, 4 ' Tarry ye in 
the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from 
on high." Luke 24 : 49. They had been thus waiting 
" with one accord in prayer and supplication," about one 
hundred and twenty in number. Acts 1 : 12 - 26. 

3. There is no hint from the connection that this oc- 
curred on the first day of the week. If God had intended 
to honor that day, he most assuredly would have told us 
that the occurrence took place then. 

4. This outpouring of the Holy Spirit came, evidently, 
as the antitype of the feast of pentecost. This is doubtless 
the reason why that day is mentioned. 

A strong effort is made by some to prove that pentecost 
came that year upon the first day of the week, though this 
is disputed by a large number of the ablest authors, them- 
selves observers of Sunday. The word pentecost signifies 
" the fiftieth," so many clays being reckoned from the pass- 
over. Olshausen, the celebrated German commentator, 
says : " Now since, according to the accounts given re- 
garding the time of the feast, the passover, in the year of 
our Lord's death, fell so that the first day of the feast 
lasted from Thursday evening at six o'clock till Friday 
evening at the same hour, it follows, of course, that it was 
from Friday evening at six o'clock that the fifty days began 
to be counted. The fiftieth day fell, therefore, it appears, 
upon Saturday." 



58 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

Jennings, in " Jewish Antiquities," concludes his argu- 
ments by saying, " The day of pentecost must fall on the 
Saturday, or the Jewish Sabbath." 

Dr. Albert Barnes says : " If the views of the Pharisees 
were followed, and the Lord Jesus had with them kept the 
passover on Thursday, as many have supposed, then the 
day of pentecost would have occurred on the Jewish Sab- 
bath, that is, on Saturday. It is impossible to determine 
the truth on this subject." 

Dean Alford, in his " New Testament for English Read- 
ers," says : " The question on what day of the week this 
day of pentecost was, is beset w T ith the difficulties attending 
the question of our Lord's last passover. ... It appears 
probable, however, that it was on the Sabbath, *. e., if we 
reckon from Saturday, the 16th of Nisan." 

Prof. H. B. Hackett, D. D., Professor of Biblical Lit- 
erature in Newton Theological Institute, in his " Commen- 
tary on the Original Text of the Acts," p. 40, thus remarks : 
" It is generally supposed that this pentecost, signalized 
by the outpouring of the Spirit, fell on the Jewish Sabbath, 
our Saturday." 

Other eminent authors — Lightfoot, Kuinol, Hitzig, Weis- 
ler, etc. — take the same position. We conclude, therefore, 
that, taking the authority of first-day authors themselves, 
it cannot be established that pentecost came upon the first 
day of the week at this time, and if it could be so estab- 
lished, it would be no evidence of Sunday sacredness. 

Redemption Greater than Creation. 

Another claim made in behalf of the first-day Sabbath 
is this : Redemption is greater than creation, therefore we 
should observe the day of Christ's resurrection in prefer- 
ence to that of the Creator's rest. 

In reply we would say that this is merely human opinion. 
Who knows that redemption is greater than creation, since 
both require omnipotent power? Is man prepared to de- 



REASONS FOR SUNDA Y SACREDNESS 59 

cide the comparative greatness of works that he is wholly 
powerless to perform, and of which he cannot have any 
adequate conception? And who knows that God would 
have us keep a Sabbath to celebrate redemption? Not a 
hint has he given us in his word to that effect. Would he 
not have told us so, had he wished us to do it? Paul says 
that the Holy Scriptures thoroughly furnish us unto all 
good works. 2 Tim. 3:17. As the keeping of Sunday 
as a Sabbath in honor of the work of redemption is in 
no instance implied in God's word, we must conclude that 
it is not a " good work." Every religious institution of 
divine appointment, has for it the authority of God's word. 
But there is none for the observance of a day to commem- 
orate redemption. Such observance must therefore be 
merely " will worship/' But we inquire, Is redemption yet 
completed ? — Certainly not, w T hile our earth groans under 
the curse, and the people of God are either waiting in the 
grave for the final resurrection, or are living in a world 
of wickedness, longing for immortality. It is most surely 
out of place to appoint a -memorial to commemorate a work 
yet unfinished. Christ our Advocate still intercedes for 
us, while we " groan within ourselves, waiting for the 
adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." Rom. 8: 
23. Our friends are at least eighteen centuries too early 
in appointing their redemption Sabbath. 

And even if a day were to be appointed to commemorate 
Christ's work of redemption at his first advent, should it 
not be the day of his crucifixion rather than of his resurrec- 
tion ? The Bible nowhere says we have redemption through 
his resurrection ; but it does say, " In whom we have re-- 
demption through his blood/' Eph. 1 : 7. Again, " Thou 
wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood." 
Rev. 5 : 9. Christ shed his blood (the great agent in our 
redemption) on Friday, the sixth day of the week. The 
death of Christ is the most marvelous event ever beheld 
in this world. It is not surprising that God should raise 



CO 



THH CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 



his Son from the grave after he had died for the sins of 
men ; but it is mercy most astonishing that he should ever 
consent that his " only begotten Son " should die that ig- 
nominious death on the cross. Shall we therefore keep 
Friday as a Sabbath to commemorate this sublime act of 
mercy and love? — Oh, no! God has instituted his own 
memorials to commemorate this as well as other important 
events. The Lord's supper answers this purpose. "As 




Should it not be the day of his crucifixion rather than of his resurrection ? " 



often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show 
the Lord's death till he come." 1 Cor. 11:26. In baptism 
we have a beautiful and appropriate memorial of Christ's 
burial and resurrection. See Rom. 6:3-5; Col. 2:12. 
How beautifully fitting is this act to commemorate Christ's 
resurrection ! 

God's Memorials. 

We shall find, if we investigate the subject of God's 
memorials in his word, that there is always a peculiar fit- 
ness, a likeness, a similarity, between the memonal and the 
thing commemorated by it. This principle is illustrated 
by the creation Sabbath, the rest signifying a completed 



REASONS FOR SUNDAY SACRBDNBSS 61 

work ; the rite of circumcision, a circle cut in the flesh, 
may signify the surrounding of Abraham's seed with pe- 
culiar providences as his peculiar people ; the feast of the 
passover and the sprinkling of the blood bring forcibly to 
view the fleeing out of Egypt, and the act of the destroying- 
angel in passing over the houses of the children of Israel, 
thus saving their first-born ; the feast of tabernacles brings 
to view their dwelling in tents ; the joyful sending of gifts 
at the feast of purim shows the gladness felt at their escape 
from the malice of Haman. So of the Lord's supper and 
baptism. Every Bible memorial is appropriate. But how 
about this man-made memorial of Sunday-keeping? What 
fitness is there in keeping as a Sabbath one out of every 
seven days to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, as a part 
of the work of redemption, when it is yet incomplete? 
We have seen that the resurrection day was a busy one. 
The disciples hunted here and there to find Christ, two of 
them traveling fifteen miles on foot, and Jesus doing the 
same. It was a day of anxiety, for they did not believe 
he was risen until just as the day was closing. So there 
could have been no religious meeting or public speaking. 
What likeness is there between the day most Christians 
keep as a Sabbath, and the original day they propose to 
keep in memory by it? In order for it to be a fitting me- 
morial, it should be true that the work of redemption oc- 
cupied six days, and that Christ rested the day following — 
something no person ever claimed. As baptism is a me- 
morial of Christ's resurrection, we would, in that case, 
have two memorials of the same event — a thing unprece- 
dented in the Scriptures. We therefore conclude that the 
claim that Sunday is set apart to commemorate redemption, 
is absurd, and entirely contrary to the facts in the case. 



THE SABBATH DURING THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES 




CHAPTER IX. 




? HE Acts of the Apostles is supposed to have 
been written more than thirty years after the 
resurrection of Christ. The book contains the 
principal historical facts regarding the apostolic 
church in the days when the Christian church 
was in a condition of the greatest purity and most glorious 
success. It has been an invaluable treatise to all Chris- 
tians for eighteen centuries. In it is given a practical il- 
lustration of the principles of gospel religion, exemplified 
in the labors of all the apostles, and it is in this book that we 
obtain a view of their understanding of Christ's teaching ; 
for they continued to teach and enforce what they had 
learned from him. They did not claim to originate new 
doctrines. They were to go " into all the world, and preach 
the gospel " that they had learned from Christ. 

What was their attitude toward the Sabbath? Did they 
treat it as an existing institution, as sacred writers in the 
Old Testament treated it, and as Christ and themselves had 
done previous to the resurrection? Or did they call the 
first day of the week the Sabbath, and enforce that as a 
new institution, to take the place of the ancient Sabbath? 
Most certainly, if Sunday did thus enter into the place of 
the creation Sabbath at the resurrection of Christ, the his- 

(62) 



THE SABBATH IN APOSTOLIC TIMES 63 

torical record of the first thirty years would give many 
instances where this new Sabbath is observed, and it would 
narrate conflicts between the adherents of the new day and 
the old, and tell of the struggles this new day had to obtain 
a position as a Sabbath. We should have statements con- 
cerning the efforts of leading men in the church to instruct 
the people concerning the importance of their keeping sa- 
credly the new day, and have many references to it. We 
should have some command given concerning it, and plain 
statements of its binding obligation. 

Such was the case with other ordinances, doctrines, and 
requirements which came into force with the gospel dispen- 
sation. For example, notice baptism. Christ , commands 
it. Matt. 28: 19; Mark 16: 16. St. Peter does the same. 
Acts 2 : 38 ; 10 : 48. Many instances of its performance are 
given in which the mode, administration, and necessity of 
it are intimated. Acts 8:12, 36 - 38 ; 16 : 33 ; 22 : 16 ; Rom. 
6:3-5; Col. 2 : 12, etc. The Lord's supper was instituted 
by Christ himself, and commanded by divine authority. 
Matt. 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:15-17; 1 
Cor. 11:20-26. Other illustrations of the same principle 
might be presented. 

Do we find such illustrations of the obligation of Sunday- 
keeping? All its adherents claim that it originated with 
the Christian dispensation. Not a single command can be 
found for it, not an instance where it was observed as a 
Sabbath, not a hint that Christ bestowed upon it any 
sanctity. Indeed, it is mentioned only once in the whole 
book of Acts: — 

Acts 20:6-14. 

" We sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleav- 
ened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days ; 
where we abode seven days. And upon the first day of 
the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, 
Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow, 



64 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

and continued his speech until midnight. And there were 
many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered 
together. And there sat in a window a certain young 
man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep ; and as 
Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and 
fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. 
And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him 
said, Trouble not yourselves ; for his life is in him. When 
he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and 
eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so 
he departed. And they brought the young man alive, and 
were not a little comforted. And we went before to ship, 
and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul ; 
for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot. And 
when he met with us at Assos, we took him in, and came to 
Mitylene." 

We give this narrative in full, because it is considered 
by first-day observers as one of the strongest evidences in 
behalf of Sunday. This is the only instance given in the 
New Testament where a religious meeting is said to have 
been held on the first day of the week. 

We learn from this scripture and its connection the fol- 
lowing facts : This was a night meeting, " many lights " 
being necessary, as it continued till daybreak. Eutychus 
fell out of the window about midnight, Paul went down 
and healed him, after which he continued to speak till 
daylight, then departed on his journey to Assos, nineteen 
and a half miles across the peninsula. Luke and his com- 
panions, with the ship, " went before," i. e., started earlier, 
intending to go around this point of land, and take in 
Paul when he reached Assos. In this way Paul gained 
several hours in which he could speak to the disciples. 

To understand this narrative correctly, it becomes impor- 
tant to ascertain whether this meeting occurred on what we 
now call Saturday night or on Sunday night. It is very 
easily shown that it must have been the former. We have 



THE SABBATH IN APOSTOLIC TIMES 65 

already stated that in the Bible reckoning of time the civil 
day began at the going down of the sun. " The evening 
and the morning were the first day " (Gen. 1:5), and the 
same statement is made of other days of creation week also. 
The Bible is consistent with itself throughout on this sub- 
ject, and it is impossible to find in it any other time for 
beginning the civil day. " From even unto even shall ye 
celebrate your Sabbath." Lev. 23 : 32. The Sabbath began 
at the same time as the other days. The evening began 
at the going down of the sun. "At even, when the sun 
did set." Mark 1 : 32. 

No intelligent person will dispute the fact that the 
Jews, from time immemorial to the present day, have begun 
the civil day at the going down of the sun. The " Bible 
Dictionary " of the American Tract Society says, " The He- 
brews began their day in the evening." We use Roman 
time, which came into vogue among Christians some centu- 
ries this -side of the Christian era. 

What, then, must we conclude ? — In order for this night 
meeting to have been on the first day of the week, it would 
have to be on what we call Saturday night. That first day 
began at sundown. These facts, then, must follow : Paul 
traveled on foot to Assos, nineteen and one-half miles, 
during the daytime of that Sunday ; and Luke and his com- 
panions spent still more of the hours of that day in travel- 
ing to the same point by ship. This conclusion is inevita- 
ble from the record, so plain, indeed, that a large number 
of first-day observers have felt compelled to admit its truth- 
fulness. We quote from a few of them as follows : — 

H. B. Hackett, D. D., Professor of Biblical Literature in 

Newton Theological Institute, in his comments on Acts 

20:7, says: "The Jews reckoned the day [in its broad 

sense, Gen. 1:5] from evening to evening, and on that 

principle the evening of the first day of the week would be 

our Saturday evening. If Luke reckons so here, as many 

commentators suppose, the apostle then waited for the 
5 



66 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

expiration of'the Jewish Sabbath, and held his last religious 
service with the brethren at Troas at the beginning of the 
Christian Sabbath, i. <?., on Saturday evening, and conse- 
quently resumed his journey on Sunday morning." Prof. 
Hackett tries, however, to make it appear that Luke reckons 
according to the pagan method in this instance. 

Dr. John Kitto says : " The evening of the first day of 
the week would be our Saturday evening. If Luke reck- 
oned so here, as many commentators suppose, the apostle 
then waited for the expiration of the Jewish Sabbath, and 
held his last religious service with the brethren at Troas at 
the beginning of the Christian Sabbath, L e., on Saturday 
evening, and consequently resumed his journey on Sunday 
morning." — Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature, art. Lord's 
Day. 

In Conybeare and Howson's " Life and Epistles of the 
Apostle Paul," it is said, speaking of this meeting, " It was 
the evening which succeeded the Jewish Sabbath.. On the 
Sunday morning the vessel was about to sail." And of the 
journey that day it says: " He [Paul] pursued his lonely 
road that Sunday afternoon in spring, among the oak woods 
and the streams of Ida." — People's Edition of 1878, p. 629. 

Professor McGarvey, of the Disciple (Church of Christ) 
denomination, says : " I conclude, therefore, that the breth- 
ren met on the night after the Jewish Sabbath, which was 
still observed as a day of rest by all of them who were Jews 
or Jewish proselytes ; and considering this the beginning of 
the first day of the w r eek, spent it in the manner above de- 
scribed. On Sunday morning Paul and his companions 
resumed their journey."' — Commentary on Acts. 

Other authors might be quoted ; but let it be noticed that 
these are all writers who observed Sunday themselves. 
They would not make these admissions unless their sense 
of truth required it. They express the fact that " many 
commentators " hold the same opinion. Professor McGar- 
vey admits that all the Jewish disciples and proselytes still 



THE SABBATH IN APOSTOLIC TIMES 67 

regarded the Sabbath sacredly as a day of rest. That was 
in the year 59, some twenty-six years after the resurrec- 
tion. According to the Bible chronology, all the apostles, 
Paul included, with all the companions of Christ, still re- 
garded the seventh day as sacred. Surely this is a good 
admission, coming from a first-day commentator. These 
apostles had not learned, then> that another Sabbath had 
taken its place. 

We see, therefore, that this scripture, which on the whole 
is regarded as the strongest text to be found in the Bible 
in behalf of Sunday, proves just the opposite from what it 
is cited to prove. This instance is really the second mention 
of the first day of the week we have seen thus far in the 
historical record, the day of Christ's resurrection being 
the first, on which some of the disciples walked fifteen miles. 
It is strange that such instances should ever be thought 
to furnish evidence in behalf of the institution of a new 
Sabbath. 

Should any desire to imitate apostolic example concern- 
ing Sunday, they should hold meetings on Saturday night, 
and work during the light part of the day ; for this is pre- 
cisely what Paul and his companions did. 

1 Corinthians 16:1, 2. 

We have now noticed every instance where the first day 
of the week is mentioned in the New Testament, excepting 
one, which we here present : " Now concerning the collec- 
tion for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of 
Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let 
every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered 
him, that there be no gatherings when I come." 

This scripture is claimed as evidence for Sunday, on the 
ground that public collections were taken up on that day, 
hence there must have^been public meetings held, and there- 
fore the first day of the week was the day for public assem- 
blies of Christians. But does this language say that public 



68 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

collections were taken up on the first day of the week? 
The whole question turns upon the expression, " lay by him 
in store." Would the act of taking money from the purse 
or pocket and placing it in a box or plate, be laying by him, 
i. e., by himself? — Most certainly it would be just the oppo- 
site ; it would be putting the money away from himself. 
The money would be gone. This is evidently an act to be 
done, not in a public gathering, but at home. This is most 
certainly the meaning of the original Greek. Various trans- 
lations collected by J. W. Morton, late Presbyterian mis- 
sionary to Hayti, read as follows : — 

" Greenfield, in his Lexicon, translates the Greek term, 
' by one's self, i. e., at home.' Two Latin versions, the 
Vulgate and that of Castellio, render it ' with one's self, at 
home.' Three French translations, those of Martin, Oster- 
wald, and De Sacy, ' at his own house, at home.' The 
German of Luther, ' by himself, at home.' The Dutch the 
same as the German. The Italian of Diodati, ' in his own 
presence, at home.' The Spanish of Felipe Scio, ' in his 
own house.' The Portuguese of Ferreira, ' with himself.' 
The Swedish, ' near himself.' Dr. Bloomfield renders it 
1 by him, Fr., chez soi, at home.' The Douay Bible, ' Let 
every one of you put apart with himself.' ' Dr. Justin Ed- 
wards, in his Family Testament of the American Tract 
Society, p. 285, thus gives it, " Lay by himself in store ; at 
home ; that there be no gatherings ; that their gifts might 
be ready when the apostle should come." 

Surely all these authorities, and others which might be 
cited, are sufficient to settle the question beyond all contro- 
versy, that no public collection was intended, but on the 
contrary that the act required was to be done at home. 

Again, the act required is not such a one as would be 
consistent with Sabbath sacredness. They were to lay by 
them on the first day of the week as God had prospered 
them. To tell how God had prospered them during the 
week past, if a business man, would necessitate the reckon- 



THE SABBATH IN APOSTOLIC TIMES 69 

ing of accounts. Our first-day friends would hardly relish 
the idea of finding some of their church members who were 
merchants, busy reckoning up columns of figures to ascer- 
tain their amount of prosperity during the past week, on 
what they call the " Christian Sabbath." Yet this is pre- 
cisely what this command of the great apostle to " lay by 
him in store, as God had prospered him," would necessitate 
in the case of any one who had large business transactions. 
Here we see the same fact stated which has been appa- 
rent in the other cases where the first day of the week is 
mentioned. Secular labor is spoken of as being done on 
that day ; and in this last instance the apostle required it. 
Surely this is not consistent with Sabbath holiness. We 
therefore conclude that this last mention of the first day 
utterly fails to prove the practice of holding religious meet- 
ings on the first day of the week in the apostolic age, and 
fails to give the slightest sanction to any claim of sacred- 
ness. 

Acts 13:14,42,44. 

We next notice references made to the Bible Sabbath 
during the days of the apostles. " When they departed 
from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into 
the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down." Acts 
13 : 14. After this Paul gave a masterly discourse to those 
assembled, proving that Jesus is the Christ. We learn from 
this scripture that the day St. Luke called the Sabbath some 
twelve years after, which many claim had been changed, 
was still the seventh day, the very day when the Jews met 
in their synagogues. At the close of this discourse, we 
read : " When the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, 
the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached 
to them the next Sabbath ; . . . and the next Sabbath day 
came almost the whole city together to hear the word of 
God." Acts 13 : 42, 44. Here again the inspired word of 
God positively declares that the seventh day, on which the 



70 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

Jews met in their synagogues, was the Sabbath day in the 
year a. d. 45. 

We are well aware how first-day advocates try to avoid 
the force of this argument by saying, " It was the Jewish 
Sabbath, of course," and " the apostles went into the syna- 
gogue to preach, simply because they could not get oppor- 
tunity to speak to the Jews any other day," " the apostles 
did not hold religious meetings with the Gentiles on the 
Jewish Sabbath," etc. But the very fact that these men 
in every case place the word " Jewish " before the word 
" Sabbath," when speaking of the seventh day of the week, 
as a term of reproach, while they speak of the first day of 
the week as the Sabbath, without any such qualifying 
phrase, shows the sense in which they speak of that day, as 
distinguished from the manner in which the inspired writers 
speak of it many years this side of the cross. Why did 
not St. Luke speak of the day as the " Jewish Sabbath," 
if his practice then was the same as that of many Christian 
ministers now? We could not persuade these estimable 
men to speak of the seventh day as the Sabbath day before 
their congregations in public. They never do it. They 
would feel at once that all who heard them would draw the 
conclusion that they considered it a sacred day, should they 
do so. The observers of the seventh always call it " the 
Sabbath day," because they regard it as such. 

How shall we explain the fact that St. Luke, whenever 
he has occasion to speak of the seventh-day Sabbath, always 
calls it by the same name that its modern observers do, and 
never the Jewish Sabbath, except on the supposition that 
he observed it himself, and considered no other day of the 
week the Sabbath day? This writer was a Christian, writ- 
ing for the Christian dispensation. He calls those institu- 
tions which he names, what they really are. He always 
calls the seventh day, when he has occasion to speak of it, 
" the Sabbath," just as writers had been doing for four 
thousand years, showing that no change had occurred. 



THE SABBATH IN APOSTOLIC TIMES 71 

He never in a single instance calls the first day of the week 
by any such title, or by any sacred title whatever ; yet many 
good people believe that he had been keeping the first day 
of the week as the Sabbath for thirty years, and not keeping 
the seventh day as such. We leave it for first-day observers 
to explain such inconsistency. 

We next notice the claim that the apostles did not hold 
meetings on the seventh-day Sabbath, except with the Jews, 
for the sake of reaching them. Acts 13:42 implies that 
this meeting on the first Sabbath mentioned, was a mixed 
meeting of Jews and Gentiles ; for the latter requested that 
these words might be repeated to them on the next Sabbath. 
This shows at least that they were somewhat conversant 
with the discourse. What an excellent opportunity this 
presented to the apostle to inform them of the first-day 
Sabbath, if there had been any instituted ! How readily 
our modern ministers would have remarked, " You need not 
wait a whole week ; to-morrow is the Christian's Sabbath, 
the day in which we instruct the Gentiles." But not a word 
of this do we find. They waited a whole week ; then nearly 
the whole city turned out to hear the gospel. Luke says 
it was " the next Sabbath day " when this great gathering 
occurred. It was evidently a week later than the other 
meeting. If it was the next Sabbath day, then most cer- 
tainly Sunday was not a Sabbath day. Here was a Gentile 
meeting on the Sabbath day, and no one can truthfully deny 
it. Here we have two consecutive Sabbath days in which the 
great apostle held religious services, instructing far more 
Gentiles than Jews. 

Acts 16:13. 

" On the Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, 
where prayer was wont to be made ; and we sat down and 
spake unto the women which resorted thither." Here we 
have another religious meeting of the apostle to the Gentiles, 
in the Gentile city of Philippi, on the seventh-day Sabbath. 



U THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

As the Greek language puts it, it was " the Sabbath day,' 
so called by a Christian writer. 

Acts 17:1,2. 

" Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and 
Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a syna- 
gogue of the Jews. And Paul, as his manner was, went in 
unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out 
of the Scriptures." 

Twenty years after the resurrection we have another in 
stance, in a Gentile city, of Paul's using the ancient Sabbath 
as a day for religious meetings, and of Luke's declaring to 
the Christian world that the day in which the Jews met in 
their synagogues was still the Sabbath day of Holy Writ. 

Another very significant remark made by the historian 
is that it was " Paul's manner " thus to use the Sabbath day 
for religious teaching. In this respect he followed Christ's 
example perfectly. The same writer declares that it was 
our Saviour's " custom " to do the same thing. Luke 4 : 16. 
All agree that our Lord in doing this was keeping the Sab- 
bath commandment, and showing proper respect for the 
worship of God on that day. The Sabbath was ordained 
for that purpose, as a day for religious worship. It would 
be impossible to show a particle of difference between Paul's 
" manner " of treating the Sabbath and Christ's " custom." 
They pursued the same course toward the Sabbath, be- 
cause their relation to Jehovah's rest-day was just the same. 
It was the day appointed for religious instruction. It was 
obligatory in both cases. 

Another very significant point in connection with this 
text of scripture, is the fact that here we have an account 
of the origin of the Thessalonian church, to which Paul 
addressed one of his epistles. We cannot question but that 
the members of this church were observers of the seventh- 
day Sabbath. Paul, in his letter to them, uses this language : 
" Ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God, 



THE SABBATH IN APOSTOLIC TIMES 73 

which in Judea are in Christ Jesus." ' Ye became follow- 
ers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in 
much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost, so that ye were 
ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia." 
i Thess. 2: 14; 1 : 6, 7. Jesus declared, " I have kept my 
Father's commandments." St. Paul, when he arrived in 
Rome a. d. 62, called the " chief of the Jews together," and 
said unto them, " I have committed nothing against the 
people, or customs of our fathers." Acts 28 : 17. None 
will deny that the observance of the Sabbath was one of 
these " customs." Hence we are forced to conclude that 
Paul kept the Sabbath. 

These Thessalonian brethren followed Paul and Christ; 
therefore they also were observers of the Sabbath. The 
brethren of Macedonia and Achaia followed the same exam- 
ple. The churches of Judea even, according to the admis- 
sion of many first-day commentators, still kept the Sabbath. 
We see, therefore, that the early Gentile Christians imitated 
them in this practice. We note, also, this fact, which is 
brought to view in the text we are considering: here were 
three more Sabbath days in which Paul held religious meet- 
ings, making six, with the three previously mentioned. 

Acts 18:4, 11. 

We next notice Paul's visit to Corinth. " He reasoned 
in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and 
the Greeks. . . . And he continued there a year and six 
months, teaching the word of God among them." 

Paul taught for a portion of the time in the synagogue ; 
but after the Jews " opposed," he continued to teach the 
people at the home of Justus, " whose house joined hard 
to the synagogue." The record states that he reasoned in 
the synagogue, teaching Gentiles as well as Jews " every 
Sabbath," and that he continued in the synagogue and the 
house which " joined hard to " it, a year and six months. 
. There would be seventy-eight Sabbaths in that period. 



74 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

These, with the six previously noted, would make some 
eighty-four Sabbaths in which Luke records the fact of 
Paul's holding meetings in Gentile cities with both " Jews 
and Greeks." Paul was the great apostle to the Gentiles : 
and all these instances of Sabbath meetings mentioned, 
occurred in Gentile cities and not in Judean. Is not this 
significant? It would have been much more easy to ex- 
plain away, if it had been in the Jews' own country where 
all these meetings on the Sabbath occurred. We find no 
instances in which any secular work occurred in connection 
with any of these Sabbath meetings, — no long journeys 
traveled, no reckoning of accounts. 

Sunday observers cite Paul's night meeting in Acts 20, 
and dwell upon it with much satisfaction. Yet he and his 
companions used the light part of that day for ordinary 
secular business. One night meeting they consider strong 
evidence for first-day sacredness ; yet that very instance 
really counts more for the Sabbath than for the first day ; 
for the disciples remained there over the Sabbath, and as 
soon as the light of the first day dawned, they started on 
their long journey toward Jerusalem. They did not start 
on the Sabbath, but they did on Sunday. Doubtless the 
reason why that night meeting was mentioned, was the re- 
markable occurrence of raising the dead man Eutychus. 
This was one of the greatest miracles that Paul ever 
wrought. 

But here we have scores of religious meetings on a day 
which Inspiration declares to be the Sabbath, in which Jews 
and Gentiles are instructed in the truths of the gospel : 
and yet men teach that it was not the Sabbath day, but 
the first, which is never in a single instance called the Sab- 
bath. So hard is it to see a truth which involves a cross. 

"The Lord's Day." Rev. 1:10. 

We next notice a text which is claimed by first-day observ- 
ers as evidence in behalf of Sundav, but which we claim 



THE SABBATH IN APOSTOLIC TIMES 75 

affords excellent proof in behalf of the Lord's holy Sabbath. 
" I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind 
be a great voice, as of a trumpet.''" 

This language is supposed to have been written in the 
year a. d. 96, sixty-five years after the resurrection of 
Christ. It is claimed that by the term " Lord's day " is 
meant the first day of the week, the day on which our 
Saviour rose from the dead. But the very point to be 
proved is assumed. We want evidence of a substantial 
character that the first day of the week is the " Lord's day." 
Not a hint from the Scriptures is ever cited to prove this 
important point. No sacred writer ever calls it such. In 
every case where it is mentioned, as we have seen in eight 
instances, it has the same secular title. St. John himself, 
'in writing his Gospel, some two or three years later than 
the book of Revelation was written, as is generally supposed, 
calls it twice "the first day of the week." John 20: 1, 19. 
If he had intended the first day of the week to be un- 
derstood by the term " Lord's day," why did he not call 
it so still later when he wrote his Gospel? 

No good reason can be assigned for calling it the Lord's 
day. The Lord never intimated any more regard for it 
than for any other secular day. The fact that he rose from 
the dead on it does not entitle it to any higher regard 
from us than the sixth day, the day of his crucifixion, the 
one on which our salvation was purchased by his spilt 
blood ; or Thursday, the day on which he ascended, to be- 
come our high priest. Not one well-authenticated instance 
can be found where Sunday was ever called the Lord's day 
before the year a. d. 194, just about one hundred years later 
than the time w*hen this was written by St. John, — a point 
where Christianity had become much corrupted. 

We confidently claim that this " Lord's day " is God's 
holy Sabbath day. For four thousand years it had been 
constantly recognized as a day peculiarly sacred to the 
Lord. He rested upon it, and set it apart to a holy use, 



76 THB CHANGH OF THE SABBATH 

placing his blessing upon it. Gen. 2:3. In the law of 
God he said, " Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 
. . . The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. 
. . . The Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." 
Ex. 20:8- 11. The prophet says, "If thou turn away thy 
foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy 
day." Isa. 58:13. Surely this language unmistakably 
identifies which day is " the Lord's day." It can be none 
other than the one he has always claimed. 

But it is sometimes objected that in the original Greek, 
the term " Lord " used in the text refers to Christ, and not 
to God the Father; that it is not Jehovah's day, but a 
special day which Christ claims as his own. Very well ; 
of what day does Christ claim to be the Lord ? — " The Son 
of man is Lord also of the Sabbath." Mark 2 : 28. Is 
not the day of which Christ says he is Lord, the Lord's day? 
— So we believe. Does he anywhere say he is Lord of the 
first day of the week ? — Not a text is ever quoted by any 
one to show it. We therefore conclude that the day on 
which St. John had this heavenly vision was the Lord's holy 
Sabbath, the seventh day. Let it be noticed by all that at 
the very close of the first century of the Christian era, the 
Lord has a day which he still calls his own, which we have 
shown to be the holy Sabbath. All days, then, are not alike. 
God claims at the very close of the canon of inspiration, in 
the book of Revelation, as he did at its beginning, in the 
book of Genesis, that one day is his own. 

The Sabbath in the New Earth. 

We will quote one text more concerning the time the 
holy Sabbath will continue, with which to close the Biblical 
argument of this question : "As the new heavens and the new 
earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the 
Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it 
shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, 
and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to 



THE SABBATH IN APOSTOLIC TIMES 77 

worship before me, saith the Lord." Isa. 66 : 22, 23. The 
new heavens and the new earth are created a thousand years 
after the coming of Christ. 2 Peter 3:8-13; Rev. 20: 
4 - 15 ; 21 : 1. The new earth will be the abode of the saved 
to all eternity. The holy city, the New Jerusalem, will be 
in it, and there, also, will be the tree of life, bearing its 
twelve manner of fruits, and yielding its fruit every month. 
Rev. 22 : 2. To this blessed metropolis of the new creation 
will the saints of God come each month, to partake of its 
fruits, and each week, on the holy Sabbath, to worship 
God. 

That blessed day which God set apart at creation to serve 
as a memorial of the works of the Creator, will be still 
more gladly kept when sin and the curse have been forever 
abolished. Why should not this blessed institution forever 
exist as a reminder of the glory of God in creation ? Noth- 
ing could be more fitting. The word of God positively de- 
clares that the holy Sabbath — that Sabbath with which the 
prophet Isaiah was well acquainted — will be kept in the 
new heavens and the new earth. 

What, then, is the conclusion which the Scriptures compel 
us to make in reference to the continuance of the Bible Sab- 
bath? The great majority of Christians admit that for 
four thousand years the seventh day was the only weekly 
Sabbath. Here we find the same day being kept in Eden 
restored, continuing to all eternity. Can we suppose that 
an intermission of about two thousand years occurred be- 
tween these two eternities? and that another Sabbath was 
set up to take the place of this great memorial of the work 
of Christ and Jehovah, which God has ordained to be kept 
in the eternal world ? Can we think such an event probable. ? 
Such a conclusion would be unphilosophical, absurd, pre- 
posterous. 

The prophet of God in holy vision beholds the Sabbath of 
the Lord carried far beyond this world of sin. Thus the 
Holy Scriptures place the seventh-day Sabbath like a grand 



78 



THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 



arch at the beginning of the race of man, spanning the 
six thousand years of human probation, and reaching into 
a renovated world after sin is forever destroyed. No 
place is left for another weekly Sabbath to come in. Few 
realize the vast importance of the Sabbatic institution. 
It is the golden clasp which binds man to his Maker. It 
keeps in memory the true God as the creator of all things. 
Had man always observed it in the true spirit, idolatry 
could never have had an existence. 




THE TWO REST DAYS IN SECULAR HISTORY 



i— 




CHAPTER X. 




[N the consideration of the Sabbath and its sup- 
posed change, we have now reached an impor- 
tant point. We have had, hitherto, the inspired, 
unerring word of the Lord as our text-book 
of authority ; and we need not discount a 
single statement it has made on the subject under investiga- 
tion. We have found the Sabbath of the Lord still standing 
with undiminished obligation, at the close of the canon of 
inspiration, at the end of the first century of the Christian 
era. Now we enter upon a very different order of things. 
We know that a change of the Sabbath has been attempted, 
for the majority of professed Christians are found observing 
the first day of the week and not the seventh. As no ac- 
count of a change is to be found in the Bible, we must look 
for it this side of the close of the first century. 

The authorities to which we must now look will be the 
so-called " Christian Fathers," ecclesiastical historians, the 
decrees of emperors, and the decisions of councils. We 
shall find much of fable, contradictory statements, unreliable 
traditions, and doctrines never taught in the Bible. In the 
second, third, and fourth centuries, great changes came into 
the church. It ceased to be the humble, pure church of 
Christ and the apostles, but became rather a worldly, popu- 
lar church, paying more heed to ambition, vain show, the 
love of supremacy, and traditions of men, and heathen no- 
tions, than to the word of God. The great errors which 

(79) 



80 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

finally culminated in the full development of the Catholic 
Church, here had their rise. 

It is not the design of this comparatively brief treatise to 
notice all the points and questions raised on the subject of 
the Sabbath and its change, by the multitude of authors and 
authorities who have discussed this subject. The " His- 
tory of the Sabbath," by Elder J. N. Andrews,* does in this 
a most thorough and conclusive manner ; and all who desire 
to see every argument raised by first-day authors fully 
considered, should certainly secure this book. It is a work 
of great thoroughness, comprising 548 pages. 

Our object in this treatise is to present, in as brief a 
manner as possible, a connected view of the attempted 
change of the day, and the authority for it. The authori- 
ties we quote will, in almost every case, be those who kept 
the first day of the week for the Sabbath, as far as they 
kept any day, and not those who favored the seventh day. 

Let us briefly notice some predictions of the Scriptures 
concerning this period upon which we are now entering, as 
well as the statements of leading Protestant authors con- 
cerning the character of these early times. 

The Great Apostasy. 

" I know this, that after my departing shall grievous 
wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of 
your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, 
to draw away disciples after them." Acts 20 : 29, 30. 
" The time will come when they will not endure sound doc- 
trine ; but after their own lusts shall they heap to them- 
selves teachers, having itching ears ; and they shall turn 
away their ears from hearing the truth, and shall be turned 
unto fables." 2 Tim. 4:3, 4. " Let no man deceive you 
by any means, for that day shall not come, except there 
come a falling away [literal Greek, apostasy] first, and that 

*For sale by the Southern Publishing Association, 1025 Jefferson St., Nashville, Tenn. 



TWO REST-DAYS IN SECULAR HISTORY 81 

man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth 
and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that 
is worshiped ; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of 
God, showing himself that he is God. . . . For the mys- 
tery of iniquity doth already work ; only he who now letteth 
[hindereth] will let, until he be taken out of the way. And 
then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall 
consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with 
the brightness of his coming." 2 Thess. 2:3, 4, 7, 8. 

These scriptures are very explicit in predicting a great 
apostasy in the church, the beginning of which was al- 
ready existing in Paul's day. It is not enough, therefore, 
to trace a doctrine or practice back almost or even quite 
to the days of the apostles ; for great errors had their rise 
in that very period. The real question is, Does such a doc- 
trine owe its origin to the Bible? The Roman Catholic 
Church holds many doctrines which are very ancient, and 
yet are wholly contrary to the Bible. 

The prophet Daniel foretold the rise of a power which 
should undertake to make great changes even in the law of 
God. " He shall speak great words against the Most High, 
and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think 
to change times and laws [the times and the law, R. V.] ; 
and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times 
and the dividing of time." Dan. 7 : 25. The best commen- 
tators agree that the Catholic power is here intended. The 
fourth beast mentioned in the vision of the seventh chapter 
of this book, is said to be the " fourth kingdom." Verse 
23. This was certainly the Roman kingdom. Rome under 
the popes was more marvelous than Rome under the Caesars. 
This power was to " think to change " the times and the 
law of God. This expression clearly refers to the Sabbath 
of God's law. Will history bear out this prediction? 

According to the best Protestant authors, what was the 
character of the religious changes occurring during the 



82 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

second and third centuries, and what credence should we 
give to the so-called Christian Fathers? 

"From Adrian [a. d. 117] to Justinian, . . . few institutions, 
either human or divine, were permitted to stand on their former 
basis." — Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Umpire, chap. 
44, par. 7. 

Says Robinson, the Baptist historian : — 

" Toward the latter end of the second century, most of the 
churches assumed a new form, the first simplicity disappeared, 
and insensibly, as the old disciples retired to their graves, their 
children, along with new converts, both Jews and Gentiles, came 
forward and new-modeled the cause." — Feci. Researches, chap. 6, 
p. 51, ed. 1792. 

Says Mr. Bower, in his " History of the Popes " : — 

" To avoid being imposed upon, we ought to treat tradition as 
we do a notorious . . . liar, to whom we give no credit unless 
what he says is confirmed to us by some person of undoubted 
veracity. . . . False and lying traditions are of an early date, and 
the greatest men have, out of a pious credulity, suffered themselves 
to be imposed upon by them." — Vol. I, p. 1, Phila., ed. 1847. 

Dr. Adam Clarke uses the following language concern- 
ing the Fathers : — 

" We should take heed how we quote the Fathers in proof of 
the doctrines of the gospel, because he who knows them best, 
knows that on many of those subjects they blow hot and cold." 
— Autobiography of Adam Clarke, p. 134. 

Martin Luther says : — 

" When God's word is by the Fathers expounded, constructed, 
and glossed, then in my judgment it is even like unto one that 
straineth milk through a coal sack, which must needs spoil the 
milk and make it black. Even so, likewise, God's word of itself 
is sufficiently pure, clean, bright, and clear ; but through the doc- 
trines, books, and writings of the Fathers, it is very surely dark- 
ened, falsified, and spoiled." — Table Talk, p. 228. 

Says Du Pin, one of the most celebrated and reliable 

of the Catholic historians : — 

" It is a surprising thing to consider how many spurious books 
we find in antiquity, nay, even in the first ages of the church." 



TWO REST-DAYS IN SECULAR HISTORY 88 

Dr. Clarke says again of the Fathers, in his comments 
on Proverbs 8: — 

" But of these we may safely state that there is not a truth in 
the most orthodox creed that cannot be proved by their authority, 
nor a heresy that has disgraced the Romish Church, that may not 
challenge them as its abettors. In points of doctrine, their author- 
ity is, with me, nothing. The word of God alone contains my 
creed." 

We could multiply statements of this kind from eminent 
authors almost ad infinitum. We have introduced them 
simply to show how unreliable for authority on religious 
duties these Fathers are, and what an age of corruption 
was that portion of the historical field we are considering. 
Our only safety is to take the Bible alone as authority in 
matters of religion. By it Paul says the man of God may 
be " thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 

It is in such an age as this, and from such authorities 
as these Fathers, that the principal evidence of a change 
of the Sabbath is derived. The ante-Nicsean Fathers are 
those Christian writers who flourished after the time of 
the apostles and before the Council of Nioea, a. d. 325. 
As we have seen, the best of authorities, like Dr. Clarke, 
declare that the Fathers sustain the heresies of the Roman 
Church, as well as many of the essential truths of the gos- 
pel. In short, they lived in that age of transition from the 
pure truths of the word of God to that great system of cor- 
ruption which developed into Roman Catholicism. 

To bring briefly before the reader a comprehensive 
statement relative to the bearing of the Fathers upon the 
subject of the change of the Sabbath, we quote from An- 
drews's " History of the Sabbath," pp. 206, 207 : — ■ 

" But next to the deception under which men fall when they 
are made to believe that the Bible may be corrected by the Fathers, 
is the deception practiced upon them as to what the Fathers actually 
teach. It is asserted that the Fathers bear explicit testimony to 
the change of the Sabbatb by Christ as a historical fact, and that 
they knew that this was so because they had conversed with the 



84 THE CHANGE OF THIS SABBATH 

apostles, or with some one who had conversed with them. It is 
also asserted that the Fathers called the first day of the week 
the Christian Sabbath, and that they refrained from labor on that 
day as an act of obedience to the fourth commandment. 

" Now it is a most remarkable fact that every one of these 
assertions is false. The people who trust in the Fathers as their 
authority for departing from God's commandment, are miserably 
deceived as to what the Fathers teach. 

" I. The Fathers are so far from testifying that the apostles 
told them Christ changed the Sabbath, that not even one of them 
ever alludes to such a change. 

"2. No one of them ever calls the first day the Christian Sab- 
bath, nor, indeed, ever calls it a Sabbath of any kind. 

"3. They never represent it as a day on which ordinary labor 
was sinful ; nor do they represent the observance of Sunday as 
an act of obedience to the fourth commandment. 

"4. The modern doctrine of the change of the Sabbath was 
therefore absolutely unknown in the first "centuries of the Chris- 
tian Church." # 

We are now prepared to notice the steps by which the 
Sabbath gradually lost its position of eminence, and also 
how the first day of the week gradually usurped its place. 



THE. SABBATH OBSERVED FOR SEVERAL 
CENTURIES AFTER CHRIST 




CHAPTER XL 




I HE seventh day continued to be kept for sev- 
eral centuries after Christ, but with a sacred- 
ness gradually decreasing in proportion to the 
gf Jllllllg liS rising influence of Sunday, until the Roman 
<^3^S3§h Catholic Church became so powerful that, 
wherever it had sway, it put down the Sabbath, and exalted 
the first day of the week to its place in the observance 
of the people. This, as we shall see, was a gradual work, 
taking several centuries for its accomplishment. 

Says the learned Mr. Morer, of the Church of England : — 

" The primitive Christians had a great veneration for the Sab- 
bath, and spent the day in devotion and sermons. And it is not 
to be doubted but that they derived this practice from the apostles 
themselves, as appears by " several scriptures to that purpose." — 
Dialogues on the Lord's Day, p. 189. 

A learned English writer of the seventeenth century, 
William Twisse, D. D., thus states the early history of 
these two days : — 

*' Yet for some hundred years in the primitive church, not the 
Lord's day only, but the seventh day also, was religiously observed, 
not by Ebion and Cerinthus alone, but by the pious Christians also, 
as Baronius writeth and Gomarus confesseth, and Rivet also, that 
we are bound in conscience, under the gospel, to allow for God's 
service a better proportion of time than the Jews did under the 

(85) 



86 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

law, rather than a worse." — Morality of the Fourth Command- 
ment, p. g, London, 1641. 

The learned Geisler also states the same fact, and that 
this practice of observing- the seventh day was not con- 
fined to the Jewish converts : — 

" While the Jewish Christians of Palestine retained the entire 
Mosaic law, and consequently the Jewish festivals, the Gentile Chris- 
tians observed also the Sabbath and the passover, with reference, 
to the last scenes of Jesus' life, but without Jewish superstition." 
— Eccl. Hist., Vol. I, chap. 2, sec. jo. 

These statements are certainly very explicit proof of 
the continued observance of the Sabbath in the centuries 
immediately succeeding the apostolic age, and they come 
from those who could have no prejudice in favor of the 
seventh day. 

But we notice others of similar import. Coleman speaks 
as follows : — 

" The last day of the week was strictly kept in connection with 
that of the first day for a long time after the overthrow of 
the temple and its worship. Down even to the fifth century the 
observance of the Jewish Sabbath was continued in the Christian 
church, but with a rigor and solemnity diminishing until it was 
wholly discontinued." — Ancient Christianity Exemplified, chap. 26, 
sec. 2. 

In this extract, the writer speaks of the first day's being 
observed also. In the same chapter he tells us how it was 
regarded in these early ages : — 

" During the early ages of the church it was never entitled ' the 
Sabbath,' this word being confined to the seventh day of the week, 
the Jewish Sabbath, which, as we have already said, continued to 
be observed for several centuries by the converts to Christianity." 

He tells us again in a few words how the first day of the 
week, which he, like many other first-day writers, calls 
" the Lord's day," though without good authority for so 
doing, came gradually to work its way into the position of 
the true Sabbath : — 



Tun SABBATH AFTER CHRIST 87 

"The observance of the Lord's day was ordered while yet the 
Sabbath of the Jews was continued ; nor was the latter superseded 
until the former had acquired the same solemnity and importance 
which belonged, at first, to that great day which God originally 
ordained and blessed. . . . But in time, after the Lord's day was 
fully established, the observance of the Sabbath of the Jews was 
gradually discontinued, and was finally denounced as heretical." 

We shall see that the facts of history fully sustain the 
statement of this first-day writer. The Sunday festival 
at first only asked toleration ; but as it gradually gained 
strength, it undermined the Sabbath, whose adherents were 
finally denounced as heretical. 

Bishop Jeremy Taylor, of the Church of England, a man 
of great learning, also bears testimony incidentally to the 
same fact, — the observance of the Sabbath for centuries 
after Christ, — though he was a decided opponent of Sab- 
batic obligation : — 

" It, [the Lord's day] was not introduced by virtue of the fourth 
commandment, because they for almost three hundred years to- 
gether kept that day which was in that commandment." — Ductor 
Dubitantium, part I, book 2, chap. 2, rule 6, sec. 51. 

We quote another testimony from a member of the Eng- 
lish Church, Edward Brerewood, Professor in Gresham 
College, London : — 

" The ancient Sabbath did remain and was observed, together 
with the celebration of the Lord's day, by the Christians of the 
East Church, above three hundred years after our Saviour's death ; 
and besides that, no other day for more hundreds of years than 
I spake of before, was known in the church by the name of the 
Sabbath but that." — Learned Treatise of the Sabbath, p. 77, Ox- 
ford, 163 1. 

These testimonies should certainly satisfy reasonable 
minds of the continued observance of the Sabbath of the 
Lord for a long time after the death of the apostles. As 
will be shown when we consider the growth of the Sunday 
institution, it gradually increased from several causes, till 
it became a rival of the ancient day. By the end of the 
third century it had acquired almost an equality with the 



88 THB CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

Sabbath itself in the regard of many of the Gentile Chris- 
tians. In the same ratio, the latter was decreasing in relative 
importance in the minds of many. 

In the beginning of the fourth century an event occurred 
which vastly accelerated this process, and raised the first 
day and correspondingly depressed the seventh day in the 
balancing scale of esteem in the minds of the people. This 
was an edict of the emperor Constantine, issued a. d. 321, 
which required all trades-people and towns-people to rest 
on " the venerable day of the sun," though it did not forbid 
labor in sowing or planting in the country. This is the 
first law commanding rest on the first day of the week, 
which can be found on record in all history, either human 
or sacred. We shall fully consider it when we notice the 
steps by which the first day rose to authority. The effect 
of this law upon the ancient Sabbath was greatly to decrease 
the regard of the people for it, and to turn the tide of 
influence strongly in favor of its rival. 

On this point an able writer, Mr. Cox, remarks : — 

" Very shortly after the period when Constantine issued his 
edict enjoining the general observance of Sunday throughout the 
Roman empire, the party that had contended for the observance 
of the seventh day, dwindled into insignificance. The observance 
of Sunday as a public festival, during which all business, with the 
exception of rural employments, was intermitted, came to be more 
and more generally established ever after this time, throughout both 
the Greek and Latin churches. There is no evidence, however, that 
either in this, or at a period much later, the observance was viewed 
as deriving any obligation from the fourth commandment; it seems 
to have been regarded as an institution corresponding in nature 
with Christmas, Good Friday, and other festivals of the church ; 
and as resting with them on the ground of ecclesiastical authority 
and tradition." — Sabbath Laws Examined, pp. 280, 281. 

However, even with this powerful influence of the great 
Roman emperor thrown into the scale against the ancient 
Sabbath, it still continued to share public esteem for a long 
time. It took a strong combination of influences, secular 
and religious, entirely to obliterate from the public memory 



THE SABBATH AFTER CHRIST 89 

this grand ancient institution, the Sabbath of creation; but 
the gradual disintegrating influences continued to wear 
away its God-given sanctity. A heathen Roman emperor, 
a tyrant, a murderer, one who killed his own wife and his 
own son and many other innocent persons, took one prom- 
inent step to debase it. The Sabbath never fully recovered 
from this blow, although it was still regarded as a day for 
religious meetings. Dr. Heylyn, speaking of the Sabbath 
in Constantine's time, says : — 

"As for the Saturday, that retained its wonted credit in the 
Eastern churches, little inferior to the Lord's day, if not plainly 
equal ; not as the Sabbath, think not so ; but as a day designed unto 
sacred meetings." — History of the Sabbath, part 2, chap. 3, sec. 5. 

After Constantine's time, there seems to have been in 
a measure a revival of interest in, and reverence for, the 
Sabbath in the minds of many Christians, at least in the 
Eastern churches, where the influence of the Roman Church 
was less powerful. 

Professor Stewart, in speaking of the period from Con- 

stantine to the Council of Laodicea, a. d. 364, says : — 

"The practice of it [the keeping of the Sabbath] was continued 
by Christians who were jealous for the honor of the Mosaic law, 
and finally became, as we have seen, predominant throughout Chris- 
tendom. It was supposed at length that the fourth commandment 
did require the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath (not merely 
a seventh part of time) ; and reasoning as Christians of the present 
day are wont to do, viz., that all which belonged to the ten com- 
mandments was immutable and perpetual, the churches in general 
came gradually to regard the seventh-day Sabbath as altogether 
sacred." — Appendix to Gurney's History, etc., of the Sabbath, 
pp. 115, 116. 

Christianity Becomes Popular. 

The church had by this time become greatly corrupted. 
When Constantine professed Christianity, it became the 
popular religion. In order to serve in the army or in the 
courts, or hold any official position, men had to profess to 
be Christians ; and Gibbon declares that many did this, but 



90 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

continued to worship their idols in secret. Vast numbers 
joined the church. The bishops sought high positions, 
wealth, and place, dressing in gorgeous attire, and there 
was very little resemblance indeed between religion then 
and in the days of persecution. 

Council of Laodicea. 

What did this great Catholic Church now do, when they 
saw the Sabbath once more gaining some of its former 
sanctity, and an interest in it reviving ? — They held a great 
council at Laodicea, and, among other things, passed a de- 
cree that Christians should not rest on the seventh-day Sab- 
bath, and pronounced a curse upon all who should do so. 
We present the following statements of eminent authors 
on this point. 

Mr. James, in addressing the University of Oxford, used 

this • language : — 

" When the practice of keeping Saturday Sabbaths, which had 
become so general at the close of this century, was evidently gain- 
ing ground in the Eastern church, a decree was passed in the 
council held in Laodicea [a. d. 364], 'that members of the church 
should not rest from work on the Sabbath day, like Jews, but 
should labor on that day, and preferring in honor the Lord's day; 
then, if it be in their power, should rest from work as Christians.' ' ; 
— Sermons on the Sacraments and Sabbath, pp. 122, 123. 

Prynne thus testifies : — 

" It is certain that Christ himself, his apostles, and the primitive 
Christians for some good space of time, did constantly observe the 
seventh-day Sabbath, . . . the Evangelists and St. Luke in the 
Acts ever styling it the Sabbath day, . . . and making mention of 
its . . . solemnization by the apostles and other Christians, ... it 
being still solemnized by many Christians after the apostles' times, 
even till the Council of Laodicea, as ecclesiastical writers and the. 
twenty-ninth canon of that council testify, which runs thus : 'Because 
Christians ought not to Judaize and to rest in the Sabbath, but to 
work in that day (which many did refuse at that time to do). But 
preferring in honor the Lord's day (there being then a great contro- 
versy among Christians which of these two days . . . should have 
precedency), if they desired to rest, they should do this as 



THE SABBATH AFTER CHRIST 91 

Christians. Wherefore if they shall be found to Judaize, let them 
be accursed from Christ.' . . . The seventh-day Sabbath was . . . 
solemnized by Christ, the apostles, and primitive Christians, till the 
Laodicean Council did in a manner quite abolish the observation of 
it. . . . The Council of Laodicea . . . first settled the observation of 
the Lord's day, and prohibited . . . the keeping of the Jewish Sab- 
bath under an anathema." — Dissertation on the Lord's Day Sabbath, 
/>/>. 33, 34, 44, ed. 1633. 

We also quote from an old English writer, John Ley : — 

" From the apostle's time until the Council of Laodicea, which was 
about the year 364, the holy observation of the Jews' Sabbath con- 
tinued, as may be proved out of many authors ; yea, notwithstanding 
the decree of that council against it." — Sunday a Sabbath, p. 163, 
ed. 1640. 

From this time onward the general disregard of the an- 
cient Sabbath was a foregone conclusion. It did continue, 
as we shall show, in some localities where the Catholic 
Church had not the power to abolish it. But the influence 
of that church was so great, its jurisdiction so extensive, 
its hatred to the Sabbath of the Lord so bitter, and its efforts 
in behalf of the Sunday Sabbath so active, that for centuries 
the ancient Sabbath made but little figure among Christian 
communities. We charge plainly and squarely upon the 
corruptions of that Christianity which developed into the 
Roman Catholic Church, the change of the Sabbath, and 
the abolition of the ancient Sabbath of the Lord, contrary 
to the practice of the church of Jesus Christ. The influ- 
ences which hastened this result dwelt in Rome itself in 
a special sense, far more than in other sections. The bish- 
ops of Rome manifested their enmity against the Sabbath 
far more than those of any other city. 

< 

The Sabbath a Fast Day. 

About the year a. d. 200, the Church of Rome turned the 
Sabbath into a fast day, evidently to make the Sabbath dis- 
reputable. Says Mr. James, before the University of 

Oxford :— 
1 



92 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

" The Western church began to fast on Saturday at the beginning 
of the third century.'' 

Dr. Charles Hase, of Germany, says : — 

" The Roman Church regarded Saturday as a fast day in direct 
opposition to those who regarded it as a Sabbath. Sunday remained 
a joyful festival,'" etc. — Ancient Church History, part I, div. 2, A. D. 
100-312, sec. 69. 

Says the great German historian, N'eander : — 

" In the Western churches, particularly the Roman, where oppo- 
sition to Judaism was the prevailing tendency, this very opposition 
produced the custom of celebrating the Saturday in particular as 
a fast day." — Meander, p. 186. 

By Judaism is doubtless meant the observance of the Sab- 
bath. Fasting is never popular, and of course, seeing the 
Sunday was made as joyful a day as possible, the Sabbath 
was disliked. The Eastern churches did not follow in this 
practice of fasting on the Sabbath for a long time, and 
censured the Roman Church for doing it. 

The Roman Church made the first edict in behalf of 
Sunday. It required the observance of the passover on 
the Sunday following Good Friday, while the great majority 
of the other churches celebrated it on the fourteenth day 
of the first month, no matter what day of the week this 
might be. Victor, bishop of Rome, in the year 196, tried 
to impose this upon all the churches ; that is, to compel 
them to observe it on Sunday. Dowling calls it the " earli- 
est instance of Romish assumption." The churches of Asia 
Minor would not comply with his wishes. Bower says that 
upon receipt of their letter saying this, Victor, giving way 
" to an impotent and ungovernable passion, published bit- 
ter invectives against all the churches of Asia," etc. — His- 
tory of the Popes, under Victor. 

Constantine's edict in behalf of the " venerable day of 
the sun " went forth backed by the whole influence of Rome, 
A. d. 325, through the powerful influence of Constantine, 
where, indeed, it had its source. At the Council of Nicaea, 



THE SABBATH AFTER CHRIST 93 

the position of the Roman Church concerning the celebra- 
tion of the passover on Sunday, was carried through. Thus 
Rome secured a victory in behalf of Sunday. 

One special reason urged by the emperor in behalf of 
Sunday was this : " Let us, then, have nothing in common 
with the most hostile rabble of the Jews." This hatred of 
the Jews was one of the strongest causes why the Sabbath 
was suppressed. Sylvester, bishop of Rome at this time, 
and Eusebius, the historian, were special favorites of the 
emperor, and doubtless used their utmost influence with 
him to bring about these results. 

We see, therefore, the Roman influence in all these moves 
to suppress the Sabbath. They culminated in the Council 
of Laodicea, a. d. 364, when the keeping of the Sabbath 
was denounced, and those who observed it were placed 
under a curse. Who can fail to see the leading spirit in 
this movement? Whenever the Roman Church has had 
authority, the Sabbath has been degraded. It continued 
much longer in the Eastern churches than in the Western, 
where the Roman influence was paramount. After the re- 
moval of the capital city from Rome to Constantinople by 
the emperor Constantine, there was quite a struggle on the 
part of the bishop of the latter city for the mastery ; but 
to no purpose, though it finally resulted in the separation 
of the Roman and Greek Catholic churches. But through- 
out the Western churches the adherents of the Sabbath 
had little favor ; though we find here and there traces of 
Sabbath-keepers in retired places all through the Dark 
Ages. Of these we will speak hereafter. 

Thus we see that the Roman Catholic Church, with the 
pope at its head. " exalted " itself " above God " by setting 
aside his law. Thus he fulfilled the prophet's prediction, 
" He shall think to change the times and the law." 



STEPS BY XHJ6H 



NDAYrROSE-INTO 




CHAPTER XII. 




[N this treatise, giving an account of the change 
of the Sabbath from the seventh to the first 
day of the week, it is but reasonable that we 
should present the prominent causes which 
led to this result. We have shown that the 
Bible gives no account of such a change : but it has been 
made, and the great mass of Christians are now observing 
the first day of the week. There must have been a united 
action of powerful causes to accomplish this. We present, 
as the most prominent of these, the following: — 

1. Sunday was an ancient heathen festival, which, from 
time immemorial, had been looked upon with favor, and re- 
garded as more or less sacred by worshipers of the sun ; so 
that when Christianity made progress among the idolatrous 
Gentile nations, it came in conflict with this custom. 

2. The difficulty of keeping the seventh-day Sabbath, sur- 
rounded as Christians were by the great masses of the 
people who did not observe it, but who paid more or less 
respect to Sunday. 

3. The voluntary observance of memorable days, such as 
the day of the crucifixion, the resurrection, the ascension, 
etc., as the church lost its purity, and began to wander away 
from the Scriptures. 

4. Hatred of the Jews, which was cherished among the 
Gentile nations, especially the Roman people, and after the 

(04) 



SUNDAY RISING INTO PROMINENCE 95 

death of the apostles, among Christians, on account of 
the persecutions they received, and because the Jews put 
Christ to death. 

5. Especially, as the work of apostasy proceeded, the ac- 
ceptance of tradition in place of the Bible. Here the church 
lost its connection with God, and wandered into heathen- 
ish practices, setting aside precious truths of divine author- 
ity, and accepting the inventions of men. 

6. The hatred of the Church of Rome to the Sabbath of 
the Lord, seeking constantly to lower it in the estimation 
of the people, and to exalt the first day in its place. When 
this church came fully into power, it accomplished the work. 

These influences combined, in the space of centuries, grad- 
ually to undermine the Sabbath, and to exalt the first day 
of the week in popular estimation, till, in the observance 
of the masses, it wholly superseded the Sabbath. We will 
notice more particularly some of these causes. 

Antiquity of Sun Worship. 

The festival of Sunday is very ancient, reaching back 
into hoary antiquity. No person can tell where or when 
it did originate. It was of idolatrous origin, and was 
consecrated to the worship of the sun. There was a time, 
in the days of the early patriarchs, when the worship of 
the true God was universal. But Satan, the great enemy 
of God, instituted idolatry. The worship of the sun, moon, 
and stars, especially the former, was the most ancient and 
prevalent form of idolatry. Under various names, in all 
the heathen nations, the sun was adored. Sunday was evi- 
dently a rival to God's ancient Sabbath, as idolatry was a 
grand counterfeit system to the worship of the true God. 
In proof of these statements we cite various authorities, 
all of them persons who did not observe the seventh day, 
but the first day of the week, as far as they observed any 
day. Webster thus defines the word Sunday : — 



W THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

"Sunday; so called because the day was anciently dedicated to 
the sun or to its worship. The first day of the week." 

Worcester, also, in his large dictionary thus defines it: — 

" Sunday ; so named because anciently dedicated to the sun or 
to its worship. The first day of the week." 

The North British Review, in a labored attempt to justify 
the observance of Sunday by the Christian world, styles 
the day, — 

"The wild solar Holiday [i. e., festival in honor of the sun] of 
all Pagan Times." — Vol. 18, p. 409. 

This, from such an intelligent authority, is certainly a 

strong proof of the general regard for the Sunday among 

the heathen. It is indeed surprising how Sunday should 

thus generally have come to be a holiday each week. This 

is strong evidence of the antiquity of the weekly division 

of time. 

Verstegan says: — 

" The most ancient Germans being pagans, and having appro- 
priated their first day of the week to the peculiar adoration of the 
sun, whereof that day doth yet in our English tongue retain the 
name of Sunday." — Verstegan's Antiquities, p. 10, London, 1628. 

Again he says : — 

" Unto the day dedicated unto the special adoration of the idol of 
the sun, they gave the name of Sunday, as much as to say, the sun's 
day, or the day of the sun. This idol was placed in a temple, and 
there adored and sacrificed unto, for that they believed that the 
sun in the firmament did with or in this idol correspond and co-oper- 
ate."— Idem, p. 68. 

Jennings, speaking of the time of the deliverance of the 
Israelites from Egyptian bondage, thus speaks of the Gen- 
tile nations as — 

" The idolatrous nations who, in honor of their chief god, the sun, 
began their day at his rising." — Jewish Antiquities, book 3, chap. 1. 

Again : — 

" The day which the heathen in general consecrated to the worship 
and honor of their chief god, the sun, which, according to our com- 
putation, was the first day of the week." — Idem, chap. 3. 



SUNDAY RISING INTO PROMINENCE 97 

We see, therefore, according to this author, that Sunday 
was more ancient than the coming out of Egypt. 

Morer says : — 

" It is not to be denied but we borrow the name of this day 
from the ancient Greeks and Romans, and we allow that the old 
Egyptians worshiped the sun, and as a standing memorial of their 
veneration, dedicated this day to him. And we find by the influence 
of their examples, other nations, and among them the Jews them- 
selves, doing him homage." — Dialogues on the Lord's Day, pp. 
22, 23. 

Origin of Sun Worship. 

These statements of respectable authors place Sunday in 
the very earliest ages of antiquity, as a " memorial " of the 
first form of idolatry among the Egyptians, from whom 
the Romans and the Greeks largely derived their forms of 
heathen worship. It is well known that their most famous 
philosophers went to Egypt to become acquainted with their 
sacred mysteries. Among the Assyrians and Persians, two 
other very ancient nations, it is well known that Sabianism 
— the worship of the sun, moon, and stars — was the most 
ancient form of religion. Thus sun-worship, with its at- 
tendant " memorial" was struggling for recognition away 
back in the earliest ages, and that, too, in direct antagonism 
with the " memorial " of Jehovah's rest, the Sabbath of the 
Lord. 

No one can fully grasp the Sabbath and Sunday question 
without viewing it in these extended relations. The change 
of the Sabbath is the result of one of the deepest plans 
ever conceived by the author of all evil. As the Sabbath 
is the memorial of God's creative power, a grand monument 
of the work which shows his divinity as an omnipotent 
being, Satan aims against it his most cunning schemes, to 
set it aside and to put in its place a day which commemorates 
false worship and apostasy from God. We have seen that 
the Sunday holiday was regarded throughout the whole 



98 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

heathen world, even in the earliest ages before the exodus 
from Egypt. 

The Sabbath Among Gentile Nations. 

Though not exactly in the line of the argument we are 
now considering, we cannot refrain from noticing the po- 
sition of the Sabbath among the Gentile nations in this first 
great struggle of its rival, the Sunday. This reference 
will be valuable, inasmuch as it proves the existence of the 
Sabbath among other nations, long before it was specially 
committed to the Jewish people for preservation till the 
knowledge of the true God should be once more restored 
to those nations who had wandered into idolatry. 

Calmet gives the following: — 

" Manasseh Ben Israel assures us that, according to the tradition 
of the ancients, Abraham and his posterity, having preserved the 
memory of creation, observed the Sabbath also, in consequence of 
natural law to that purpose. It is also believed that the religion 
of the seventh day is preserved among the pagans ; and the ob- 
servance of this day is as old as the world itself. Almost all 
the philosophers and poets acknowledge the seventh day holy." 

This statement that Abraham observed the Sabbath is 
in perfect harmony with the statement in the book of Gene- 
sis, that Abraham " kept my charge, my commandments, 
my statutes, and my laws," and with the fact that in that 
age they reckoned time by weeks. Gen. 26 : 5 ; 29 : 27. We 
know that the Sabbath was in existence before the law was 
given on Sinai, because the children of Israel kept it a 
month before the promulgation of that law ; and God set 
it apart at the creation. Gen. 2:1-3; Ex. l &- Abraham, 
who came from the Assyrian country, kept the Sabbath ; 
and this writer intimates that it was known among all the 
ancient nations. 

The Arabs are also a very ancient nation. They existed 
in Abraham's time. William Jones, missionary to Pales- 
tine, says: — 



SUNDAY RISING INTO PROMINENCE 99 

" The seventh day is known throughout Arabdom by ' Yom-es- 
Sabt,' or day of the Sabbath. Neither the word ' seven ' nor any 
other name is given by the Arabs to the Sabbath day. It is always 
the Sabbath; and the reason for it, they say, is that this has been 
its name from the beginning." 

This is valuable testimony. The Arabs were never united 
with the Jews. They have always inhabited the country in 
which they settled in Abraham's time, and have nearly al- 
ways maintained an independent existence as a people. 

Gilfillan says : — 

" It would also appear that the Chinese, who have now no Sab- 
bath, at one time honored the seventh day of the week." — The 
Sabbath, p. 360. > 

The Asiatic Journal has this item : — 

" The prime minister of the empire affirms that the Sabbath was 
anciently observed by the Chinese, in conformity to the directions 
of the king." 

On page 359 he says: — 

" The Phoenicians, according to Porphyry, ' consecrated the 
seventh day as holy." 

Josephus bears this testimony : — 

" There is not any city of the Grecians, nor any of the barba- 
rians, nor any nation whatsoever, whither our custom of resting 
on the seventh day has not come." — Against Apion, book 2, par. 40. 

Gilfillan says : — 

" The Greeks and Romans, according to Aretius, consecrated 
Saturday to rest, conceiving it unfit for civil actions and warlike 
affairs, but suited for contemplation." — The Sabbath, p. 363. 

John G. Butler, a Free-will Baptist author, says : — 

" We also learn from the testimony of Philo, Hesiod, Josephus, 
Porphyry, and others, that the division of time into weeks and 
the observance of the seventh day were common to the nations 
of antiquity. They would not have adopted such a custom from 
the Jews. Whence, then, could it have been derived, but through 
tradition, from its original institution in the garden of Eden?" 
— Natural and Revealed Theology, p. 396. 



LoiO. 



100 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

Archbishop Usher gives the following: — 
" Tne very Gentiles, both civil and barbarous, both ancient and 
of later days, as it were by universal kind of tradition, retained 
the distinction of the seventh day of the week." — Usher's Works, 
part i, chap. 4. 

Hesiod (b. c. 870) says: — 

" The seventh day is sacred." 

Homer (b. c. 907) says: — ■ 

" Then cometh the seventh day, that is sacred." 

Tibulus says : — 

" Bad omens detained me on the sacred day of Saturn." 

Assyrian Tablets/ 

We come now to one of the most interesting discoveries 
of modern times. In the investigations of the ancient ruins 
of Nineveh and Babylon during the past fifty years, many 
marvelous things have been brought to light, — things 
showing an extensive knowledge of the arts and sciences, 
which have been lost for ages, and among them are ancient 
monuments and tablets, on which historical facts were 
sculptured. Learned men have, after much investigation, 
been enabled to read these inscriptions, and many facts 
have been obtained which corroborate the record of the 
Holy Scriptures. Among others, records have been dis- 
covered showing conclusively that in those early times the 
seventh-day Sabbath was observed. We quote from the 
Congregationalist (Boston), Nov. 15, 1882: — 

"Mr. George Smith says in his 'Assyrian Discoveries' (1875): 
' In the year 1869, I discovered, among other things, a curious 
religious calendar of the Assyrians, in which every month is di- 
vided into four weeks, and the seventh days, or Sabbaths, are 
marked out as days on which no work should be undertaken.' 
Again, in his ' History of Assur-bani-pal,' he says, ' The 7th, 14th, 
19th, 21 st, and 28th [days of the month] are described by an ideo- 
gram equivalent to sulu or sulum, meaning " rest." The calendar 
contains lists of work forbidden to be done on these days, which 
evidently correspond to the Sabbaths of the Jews.' " 



SUNDAY RISING INTO PROMINENCE 101 

H. Fox Talbot, F. R. S., one of the learned Assyriologists 
of Europe, says of the fifth " Creation Tablet " found by 
Mr. George Smith on the opposite side of ancient Nineveh, 
on the bank of the Tigris, and now to be seen in the British 
Museum : — 

" This fifth tablet is very important, because it affirms clearly, 
in my opinion, that the origin of the Sabbath was coeval with 
the creation. ... It has been known for some time, that the Baby- 
lonians observed the Sabbath with considerable strictness. On that 
day the king was not allowed to take a drive in his chariot ; vari- 
ous meats were forbidden to be eaten; and there were a number 
of other minute restrictions. . . . But it is not known that they 
believed the Sabbath to have been ordained at creation. I have 
found, however, since the translation of the fifth tablet was com- 
pleted, that Mr. Sayce has recently published a similar opinion. 
See the Academy of Nov. 27, 1875, P- 554-" — Records of the Past, 
Vol. IV, pp. 117, 118. 

A. H. Sayce, in his lecture before the Royal Institution 
concerning the Assyrian tablets discovered in the excava- 
tions on the site of ancient Babylon, says : — 

" The Sabbath of the seventh day appears to have been observed 
with great strictness ; even the monarch was forbidden to eat 
cooked meat, change his clothes, take medicine, or drive his chariot 
on that day." — Northern Christian Advocate. 

Here we have testimony, which could be greatly multi- 
plied, showing that away back in the earliest ages the 
Chinese, Phoenicians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Arabians, 
Greeks, and Romans, and many other nations, did regard 
the Sabbath as a sacred day. The farther we get back, the 
more sacredly they seemed to regard it. It is not surprising 
that Abraham, who came from Assyria, was a Sabbath- 
keeper. These tablets were engraved long before histories, 
in the ordinary sense of the term, were written ; or at least 
none so ancient were extant, unless it be the books of Moses. 
Yet these facts were preserved all these ages on the tablets 
of stone, and now come to light as testimony to the sacred- 
ness of the Sabbath from the most ancient nations. 



102 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

The Sabbath Supersede d. 

But let the thoughtful reader notice the striking fact that 
when idolatry came to prevail fully, the sun-worship be- 
came general among all the nations but the Jews, the 
Sabbath gradually disappeared, and the Sunday, the " memo- 
rial " of idolatry, took its place in general esteem. It is 
in the earliest record of these nations that we find references 
to the Sabbath. In the later ones there are very few. Sa- 
tan, the author of false worship, suppressed the Sabbath 
wherever his influence was paramount. 

But God chose the children of Abraham because this de- 
vout man kept his charge, his commandments, his statutes, 
and his laws. He surrounded them with special circum- 
stances, customs, and ordinances, to keep them from the 
heathen nations around them, till the " seed " — Christ — 
should come, through whom all the nations of the world 
should be blessed, by the calling of the Gentiles again. God 
gave himself to that people, and with himself his great " me- 
morial,'' the Sabbath, which kept in mind his work at crea- 
tion. The other nations once had it ; but through their 
idolatry, God and his memorial were nearly forgotten by 
them. Satan tried his best to rob God's chosen people of 
this keepsake ; but because of God's chastisements and the 
constant warnings of the prophets, he could not quite ac- 
complish this work. 

After Christ came, and the apostles were sent to the Gen- 
tiles, they carried with them, as we have shown, the Sab- 
bath of the Lord. The early Christians kept it as Christ 
and the apostles had done ; and as Christianity spread 
abroad to all the nations of the earth, the two " memorials " 
once more came in conflict. The Sunday " holiday of all 
pagan times" was intrenched among all the nations. The 
people everywhere regarded it as a special day of pleasure 
and recreation. It came every week. This fact made it 
difficult for those who kept the seventh day as the Sabbath, 



SUNDAY RISIXG IX TO PROMINENCE 103 

something in the same manner as it makes it difficult now for 
those who turn from the observance of Sunday to the Sab- 
bath. All who have tried it, know how hard it is. Grad- 
ually, after a generation or two, the sense of sacredness 
began to weaken, and feelings of expediency were cherished. 
The great struggle between the two memorials then began, 
and continued, as we shall see, till the Sabbath of the Lord 
was generally abandoned. 

These influences are well presented by a clergyman of 
the Church of England, Mr. Chafie, who published in 1652 
a work in vindication of first-day observance. After show- 
ing the general observance of Sunday by the heathen world 
in the early ages of the church, he thus states the reasons 
which forbid Christians' attempting to keep any other 
day : — 

" 1. Because of the contempt, scorn, and derision they thereby 
should be had in, among all the Gentiles with whom they lived. 
. . . How grievous would be their taunts and reproaches against 
the poor Christians living with them and under their power for 
their new-set sacred day, had the Christians chosen any other than 
the Sunday. ... 2. Most Christians then were either servants or 
of the poorer sort of people ; and the Gentiles, most probably, 
would not give their servants liberty to cease from working on 
any other set day constantly, except on their Sunday. ... 3. Be- 
cause, had they assayed such a change, it would have been but 
labor in vain : . . . the}* could never have brought it to pass." — 
The Seventh-day Sabbath, pp. 61, 62. 

These reasons present powerful inducements which we 
cannot deny to those who regard expediency more than 
principle. The early church had begun already to aposta- 
tize from God, and to accept traditions in preference to the 
Scriptures. Many of the early Fathers had been heathen 
philosophers. It ever comes natural for human nature, 
when it changes its religious belief, to take with it more or 
less of the old notions and practices. 

Gradually the church began to be less strict in its obser- 
vance of Bible truths, and to conform more and more 



104 THE CHANG E OF THE SABBATH 

to the spirit of the world around them. No Protestant will 
dispute this in reference to their regard to many of the 
gospel requirements. Many thought by uniting more or 
less with their heathen neighbors they would be more likely 
to convert them. In this way the Sabbath partially lost its 
sacredness, and the first day gained its position and influ- 
ence. 

Merer, after stating the fact that the first day of the 
week, as we have quoted, had long been the " memorial " 
of sun-worship, as its name, " Sunday," implies, places be- 
fore us the reasons why the church was led to adopt it : — 

" These abuses did not hinder the Fathers of the Christian 
church simply to repeal, or altogether lay by, the day or its name, 
but only to sanctify and improve both, as they did also the pagan 
temples polluted before with idolatrous services, and other instances 
wherein these good men were always tender to work any other 
change than what was evidently necessary, and in such things as 
were plainly inconsistent with the Christian religion; so that Sun- 
day being the day on which the Gentiles solemnly adored that 
planet, and called it Sunday, . . . the Christians thought fit to 
keep the same day and the same name of it, that they might not 
appear causelessly peevish, and by that means hinder the conver- 
sion of the Gentiles, and bring a greater prejudice than might 
be otherwise taken against the gospel." — Dialogues on the Lord's 
Day, pp. 22, 23. 

It is such politic reasoning as this which has always led 
to apostasy and conformity to the world. It finally devel- 
oped fully into the Roman Catholic Church, a mixture of 
heathenism and Christianity. This conformity to the 
heathen custom of regarding Sunday as a festival day, was 
carried so far that many thought the Christians worshiped 
the sun as a god ; so that Tertullian, one of the Christian 
Fathers, defended them from this charge. He answered 
that though they worshiped toward the east, like i% e heathen, 
they did it for another reason than sun-worship. He ac- 
knowledged that these acts — prayer toward the east, and 
making Sunday a day of festivity — did give men a chance 



SUNDAY RISING INTO PROMINENCE 105 

to think the sun was the god of the Christians. (See 
"Apology," chap. 67, sec. 16.) 

Tertullian is therefore a witness to the fact that Sunday 
was a heathen festival when it was adopted by the Christian 
church, and that they were taunted with being sun-wor- 
shipers. 

When we see the striking changes which have occurred 
in the manner of observing Sunday within the past one or 
two hundred years, even when nearly all regard it with more 
or less sacredness, and when we note the general laxity of 
practice as compared with the strictness of our ancestors, 
we cannot wonder at the changes which two or three centu- 
ries produced when strong influences were brought to bear 
against the Sabbath, and so many other perversions of 
Bible doctrines were introduced. Thus we see how these 
two causes — the general regard for Sunday as a weekly 
heathen holiday, and the difficulty of keeping the seventh 
day where Sunday observance was almost universal — would 
powerfully tend to discourage those who kept the Sabbath, 
and gradually undermine it in the esteem of all. 




OTHER REASONS WHY' SUNDAY WAS FAVORED 




CHAPTER XIII. 




I HE general observance of memorial days in the 
second and third centuries of the Christian era, 
was also another reason why Sunday was ex- 
alted. Doubtless the practice was innocent 
at first, and originated from the best motives, 
being prompted by reverence for Christ. The same princi- 
ple in the human heart which has always led people to com- 
memorate important events in which they have felt a deep 
interest, by celebrating with appropriate services the special 
days upon which these events occurred, led the disciples, 
after the apostles' death, to regard with more or less in- 
terest the days of Christ's betrayal, crucifixion, resur- 
rection, and ascension. To this day, Good Friday, Holy 
Thursday, etc., are considered as quite sacred in the state 
churches of Europe, especially in the Roman and Greek 
Catholic Churches. " Holy week," as the week connected 
with the last scenes in Christ's life is called, has been re- 
garded with great reverence for ages in the Catholic and 
other national churches, and is really becoming popular in 
many Protestant churches. But all such services and ob- 
servances have no authority in Scripture ; they are derived 
from tradition alone. It was in this way that Sunday, the 
day of Christ's resurrection, first became prominent among 
Christians. At first it was little, if any, more prominent 
than Friday, the day of his crucifixion. Mosheim says : — 

(106) 



REASONS WHY SUNDAY WAS FAVORED 107 

" It is also probable that Friday, the day of Christ's crucifixion, 
was early distinguished by particular honors from the other days 
of the week." — Eccl. Hist., cent, i, part 2, chap. 4, note X to sec. 4. 

He says of the second century : — 

" Many also observed the fourth day of the week, on which 
Christ was betrayed; and the sixth, which was the day of his 
crucifixion." — Idem, cent. 2, part 2, chap. 1, sec. 12. 

Dr. Peter Heylyn says of those who chose Sunday : — 

" Because our Saviour rose on that day from among the dead, 
so chose they Friday for another, by reason of our Saviour's pas- 
sion, and Wednesday, on the which he had been betrayed; the 
Saturday, or ancient Sabbath, being meanwhile retained in the 
Eastern churches." — History of the Sabbath, part 2, chap. 1, sec. 12. 

Of the comparative sacredness of these voluntary festi- 
vals, the same writer testifies : — 

" If we consider either the preaching of the word, the minis- 
tration of the sacraments, or the public prayers, the Sunday in the 
Eastern churches had no great prerogative above other days, es- 
pecially above the Wednesday and the Friday, save that the meet- 
ings were more solemn, and the concourse of people greater than 
at other times, as is most likely." — Idem, part 2, chap. 3, sec. 4. 

But the fact that Sunday was a general public holiday of 
the heathen world around them, and that the Church of 
Rome made persistent efforts to give it precedence, and, 
above all, the effect of Constantine's decree in its favor, 
gave the Sunday at last a great superiority over these other 
voluntary festival days, as well as over the Sabbath itself. 
The efforts of the Church of Rome, and those in sympathy 
with it, in behalf of Sunday, making it a day of joy and 
gladness, freedom from fasts, etc., at the same time turning 
the Sabbath into a fast day, as we have seen, did much 
toward giving prestige and dignity to the former, 

First Instance of Sunday Observance. 

The first recorded instance of Sunday observance which 
has any claim to be considered genuine, is mentioned by 
Justin Martyr, a. d. 140, in an address to the Roman em- 



108 THE CHANGE Of THE SABBATH 

peror. He states in substance that the Christians met to- 
g-ether on Sunday, when the writings of the apostles and 
prophets were read, a discourse was given, prayers offered, 
the consecrated elements — bread and wine and water — 
distributed to, and partaken of by, all that were present, 
and sent to the absent by the hands of the deacons, a col- 
lection taken up, etc. We here see some innovations intro- 
duced, such as sending the emblems to the absent, and using 
water in connection with them. He does not intimate that 
this day has any divine authority from Christ and the apos- 
tles, or any command whatever for its observance. It 
would seem to be a purely voluntary practice. Neither 
does he hint that the day was regarded as a Sabbath, or 
that it was wrong to work on that day. He only states 
that they held a religious meeting on it. Sunday had not, 
up to this time, acquired any title of sacredness. It bore 
simply its old heathen title. He does not call it the Lord's 
day, nor the Christian Sabbath. It was more than fifty 
years later before a recorded instance can be found where 
it was called by the former, and many years elapsed before 
it was called by the latter title. 

Perhaps it will be proper at this point to introduce the tes- 
timony of Neander, the greatest of church historians. This 
German author speaks as follows of Sunday observance 
in the early church : — 

" The festival of Sunday, like all other festivals, was always 
only a human ordinance, and it was far from the intentions of 
the apostles to establish a divine command in this respect, — far 
from them, and from the early apostolic church, to transfer the 
laws of the Sabbath to Sunday. Perhaps at the end of the second 
century a false application of this kind had begun to take place; 
for men appear by that time to have considered laboring on Sun- 
day as a sin." — Neander' s Church History, translated by Rose, 
p. 186. 

This statement truly gives the origin of Sunday observ- 
ance ; it was purely voluntary, standing solely upon human 
authority. 



REASONS WHY SUNDAY WAS FAVORED 109 

Sir William Domville states the same fact : — 

" Not any ecclesiastical writer of the first three centuries at- 
tributed the origin of Sunday observance either to Christ or to 
his apostles." — Examination of the Six Texts, Supplement, pp. 6, 7. 

The authors living nearest the days of the apostles never 
heard of the arguments put forth at this remote day for the 
change of the Sabbath. For hundreds of years no hints, 
even, were given that Christ or the apostles changed the 
Sabbath. We have seen before that Victor, bishop of 
Rome, a. d. 196, made an edict in behalf of Sunday, trying 
to compel the other churches to celebrate the passover on 
that day. Also that the same church turned the Sabbath 
into a fast-day, to place a stigma upon it. 

Sunday a Festival. 

We will next notice the efforts of the Roman Church 
and its sympathizers to make Sunday a very joyful festival, 
in opposition to the Sabbath, which it had thus stigmatized 
as a day of sorrow and fasting. It was considered a sin 
to fast on Sunday ; and on that day they must stand, not 
kneel, during prayer, this act of standing in prayer being 
a symbol of the resurrection. 

Tertullian, the oldest of the Latin Fathers, who wrote 
about a. d. 200, says : — 

"We devote Sunday to rejoicing." — Apologeticus, par. 16. 

Dr. Heylyn says : — 

" Tertullian tells us that they did devote Sunday partly unto 
mirth and recreation, not to devotion altogether ; when in a hun- 
dred years after Tertullian's time there was no law or constitution 
to restrain men from labor on this day in the Christian church." 
— History of the Sabbath, part 2, chap. 8, sec. 13. 

Tertullian himself says: — 

"We count fasting or kneeling in worship on the Lord's day 
to be unlawful. We rejoice in the same privilege also from Easter 
to Whitsunday." — De Corona, sec. 3. 



110 THE CHANGE OP THE SABBATH 

From Peter of Alexandria, another Father, we quote the 
following : — 

"But the Lord's day we celebrate as a day of joy, because 
on it he rose again, on which day we have received it for a 
custom not even to bow the knee." — Canon 15. 

We could give many other similar statements, but it is 

not necessary. We will not, however, omit one statement 

from Tertullian. In speaking of " offerings for the dead," 

the manner of Sunday observance, and the use of the sign 

of the cross upon the forehead, he gives the ground of these 

observances as follows : — 

" If for these and other such rules you insist upon having 
positive Scripture injunction, you will find none. Tradition will 
be held forth to you as the originator of them, custom as their 
strengthener, and faith as their observer/' — De Corona, sec. 4. 

Truly, this is a frank statement, which cannot be dis- 
puted. In this statement we have presented, clearly and 
boldly, one of the reasons why Sunday gradually advanced 
in sacredness in the popular view, the acceptance of tra- 
dition instead of the word of God being the real ground 
of first-day observance, as well as of a vast number of other 
doctrines and customs which came into the church at this 
time. Tradition vs. Scripture is the great point of difference 
between Catholicism and Protestantism. The moment we 
admit tradition as a proper authority for religious duty, 
we step down from the Protestant rock, and can find no 
good reason why we should not receive all the heterogeneous 
practices of the Catholic Church. 

We close this part of the subject, relating to the authority 
for Sunday-keeping previous to the edict of Constantine, 
by giving the conclusions of one who has spent many 
years in investigating the writings of the early Fathers. 
He gives the substance of their testimony concerning the 
earliest observance of Sunday as follows : — 

"We shall find, 1. That no one claimed for first-day observance 
any divine authority; 2. That none of them had ever heard of 
the change of the Sabbath, and none believed the first-day festival 



REASONS WHY SUNDAY WAS FAVORED 



111 



to be a continuation of the Sabbatic institution; 3. That labor on 
that day is never set forth as sinful, and that abstinence from 
labor is never mentioned as a feature of its observance, nor even 
implied, only so far as is necessary in order to spend a portion 
of the day in worship ; 4. That if we put together all the hints 
respecting Sunday observance which are scattered through the 
Fathers of the first three centuries (for no one of them gives 
more than two of these, and generally a single hint is all that 
is found in one writer), we shall find just four items: (1) An 
assembly on that day in which the Bible was read and expounded, 
and the supper celebrated, and money collected; (2) The day must 
be one of rejoicing; (3) It must not be a day of fasting; and 
(4) The knee must not be bent in prayer on that day." — Andrews's 
History of the Sabbath, pp. 285, 286. 




A LAW FOR. RESTING ON SUNDAY 




CHAPTER XIV 




!.E have now reached an important point in the 
consideration of the advance of the Sunday in- 
stitution. We have seen it creeping stealthily 
into prominence in various ways, through one 
influence or another, until it has become quite 
generally recognized as a day for religious meetings. But 
hitherto it has never claimed Sabbatic honors. Not a single 
instance can be found of any law given in its favor as a 
day of rest, and no instance of its being observed as a Sab- 
bath, of its taking that title, or being recognized in that 
character. 

Constantine's Edict. 

For three hundred years of church history the rulers 
of the Roman empire have been pagans. In the early part 
of the fourth century there came a change ; Constantine 
the Great, so called, professed the Christian religion. Be- 
fore this, because of persecution, the church had maintained 
some degree of purity, though many practices had been 
adopted for which there was no warrant in Scripture. But 
from this time on, most rapid changes were seen. To ob- 
tain favor with the emperor, with their own profit in view, 
vast multitudes of pagans embraced the Christian religion 

(112) 



LAW FOR RESTING ON SUNDAY 118 

nominally, though at heart they remained unchanged. All 
Protestants admit that the age of Constantine and the one 
immediately succeeding were periods of great corruption. 
From this time forward the progress was most rapid, till 
it finally culminated in the full development of the Roman 
Catholic Church. We shall see that during this very time 
the most rapid advance of the Sunday institution also occurs. 

In the year a. d. 321, Constantine issued the following 
edict : — 

"Let all the judges and town people, and the occupation of all 
trades, rest on the venerable day of the sun ; but let those who are 
situated in the country, freely and at full liberty attend to the 
business of agriculture ; because it often happens that no other 
day is so fit for sowing corn and planting vines; lest, the critical 
moment being let slip, men should lose the commodities granted 
by Heaven." 

In no document, human or divine, can any command be 
found to rest on Sunday, the first day of the week, previous 
to this law by Constantine. Let the discerning reader note 
carefully the language of this famous law. It does not 
command us to rest on the Christian Sabbath, on the first 
day of the week, or the Lord's day, or on the day in which 
Christians generally meet to have divine worship ; but it 
is the " venerable day of the sun " which is thus honored, 
— ■ "the wild solar holiday of all pagan times." The reader 
will recall what has been stated in former chapters con- 
cerning the conflict between the two " memorials," the one 
of the Creator's rest, the other of the earliest form of idol- 
atry — sun-worship. Constantine, with the arm of civil 
law, now strikes the first heavy blow in behalf of the " ven- 
erable day of the sun," thus strengthening the positions taken 
concerning the antiquity of the heathen custom of sun- 
worship on the first day of the week. It was, then, a very 
"venerable" day in the year 321. Constantine was still a 
heathen when he put forth this decree. This edict went 
into effect on the seventh day of March. The day follow- 

8 



114 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

ing, viz., March 8, 321, another heathen decree was issued, 
the purport of which was, — 

"That if any royal edifice should be struck by lightning, the 
ancient ceremonies of propitiating the deity should be practiced, 
and the haruspices were to be consulted to learn the meaning 
of the awful portent. The haruspices were soothsayers who fore- 
told future events by examining the entrails of beasts slaughtered 
in sacrifice to the god's." — Andrews's History of the Sabbath, pp. 
347, 34%, ed. 1887. 

Any one who has read heathen history knows this was 
a practice very common among them. 

Constantine was a worshiper of Apollo, or the sun. Thus 
Gibbon says : — 

" The devotion of Constantine was more peculiarly directed to 
the genius of the sun, the Apollo of Greek and Roman mythology; 
and he was pleased to be represented with the symbols of the 
god of light and poetry. . . . The altars of Apollo were crowned 
with the votive offerings of Constantine ; and the credulous mul- 
titude were taught to believe that the emperor was permitted to 
behold with mortal eyes the visible majesty of their tutelar deity. 
. . . The sun was universally celebrated as the invincible guide 
and protector of Constantine." — Decline and Fall of the Roman 
Empire, chap. 20, par. 3. 

Here we plainly discern the reason why the emperor put 
forth his decree in favor of the " venerable day of the sun." 
He was an ardent worshiper of the sun. Mosheim places 
the nominal conversion of Constantine two years later than 
the edict. We say " nominal " conversion, for there is no 
good reason to believe that he was ever a genuine Christian. 
He was a tyrant, a murderer of many innocent persons, 
and gave evidence of being anything but a follower of the 
Prince of peace. 

The first law for keeping Sunday as a day of rest, then, 
was a heathen law in favor of sun-worship. This is ad- 
mitted by many of the best Protestant historians and authors. 
Dr. Milman, the learned editor of Gibbon, says : — 

" The rescript commanding the celebration of the Christian Sab- 
bath bears no allusion to its peculiar sanctity as a Christian insti- 



LAW FOR RESTING ON SUNDAY 115 

tution. It is the day of the sun, which is to be observed by the 
general veneration. The courts were to be closed, and the noise 
and tumult of public business and legal litigation were no longer 
to violate the repose of the sacred day. But the believer in the 
new paganism, of which the solar worship was the characteristic, 
might acquiesce without scruple in the sanctity of the first day of 
the week." — History of Christianity, book 3, chap. 1, p. 396, 
cd. 1881. 

In a subsequent chapter he adds : — 

" In fact, as we have before observed, the day of the sun 
would be willingly hallowed by almost all the pagan world, es- 
pecially that part which had admitted any tendency toward the 
Oriental theology." — Idem, book 3, chap. 4, p. 39/. 

Thus it is fully admitted that the design of this decree 
was wholly pagan. It was a step in the great contest which 
had been going on for ages to crowd out the Sabbath of 
the Lord, and exalt the " memorial " of idolatry in its 
place. 

Effect on the Church. 

How did this heathen decree affect the practice of the 
Christian church? We have already seen that the two 
days, the seventh and the first, were balancing in popular 
favor, and that the Roman Church had been doing what it 
could to suppress the Sabbath and exalt Sunday. We shall 
now see that the so-called Church of Jesus Christ took ad- 
vantage of this heathen decree in behalf of the " venerable 
day of the sun," to complete the work already begun. This 
edict was a heavy blow to the Sabbath, and as great an aid to 
the Sunday. We quote from the " Encyclopedia Britan- 
nica " as follows : — 

" It was Constantine the Great who first made a law for the 
proper observance of Sunday, and who, according to Eusebius, 
appointed it should be regularly celebrated throughout the Roman 
empire. Before him, and even in his time, they observed the 
Jewish Sabbath, as well as Sunday. ... By Constantine's law, 
promulgated in 321, it was decreed that for the future the Sun- 
day should be kept as a day of rest in all cities and towns ; but 



116 THE CHANGE Of THE SABBATH 

he allowed the country people to follow their work.'" — Art. Sun- 
day, seventh edition, 1842. 

Mosheim, who was a strong advocate for Sunday, says 
of this law : — 

" The first day of the week, which was the ordinary and stated 
time for the public assemblies of the Christians, was, in conse- 
quence of a peculiar law enacted by Constantine, observed with 
greater solemnity than it had formerly been." — Ecclesiastical His- 
tory, cent. 4, part 2, chap. 4, sec. 5. 

This is quite an admission for this historian to make. 
This heathen law, permitting those who followed the occu- 
pation of agriculture to plow, sow, plant trees, etc., but 
which forbade the town people to work, caused the Chris- 
tians to observe Sunday more strictly than they had for- 
merly. As the law required only a part of the people to 
rest on Sunday, while the others could freely work, we must 
conclude that before the issue of this edict, none of the 
people had refrained from labor on Sunday. This we have 
seen was the case, since there was no law in existence be'fore 
this requiring it. Sir Wm. Domville says : — 

" Centuries of the Christian era passed away before the Sunday 
was observed by the Christian church as a Sabbath. History does 
not furnish us with a single proof or indication that it was at 
any time so observed previous to the Sabbatical edict of Constan- 
tine in a. d. 321." — Examination of the Six Texts, p. 291. 

This edict of Constantine's greatly accelerated the current 
already setting strongly against the ancient Sabbath. It 
furnished some authority, if it was only heathen, in behalf 
of the Sunday. Every advance it made correspondingly 
depressed the Sabbath, inasmuch as keeping two days in 
each week as a rest-day would be absurd. An able w r riter 
thus expresses the result throughout the Roman empire : — 

" Very shortly after the period when Constantine issued his edict 
enjoining the general observance of Sunday throughout the Roman 
empire, the party that had contended for the observance of the 
seventh day dwindled into insignificance. The observance of Sun- 
day as a public festival, during which all business, with the ex- 



LAW FOR RESTING OX SUNDAY 117 

ception of rural employments, was intermitted, came to be more 
and more generally established ever after this time, throughout 
both the Greek and the Latin churches. There is no evidence, 
however, that either at this or at a period much later the ob- 
servance was viewed as deriving any obligation trom the fourth 
commandment ; it seems to have been regarded as an institution 
corresponding in nature with Christmas, Good Friday, and other 
festivals of the church ; and as resting with them on the ground 
of ecclesiastical authority and tradition." — Cox's Sabbath Laws, 
pp. 280, 281. 

We see, therefore, that that which caused the Sabbath 
to be greatly neglected was the heathen decree of the em- 
peror. Heathenism and corrupted Christianity united their 
forces in putting down the Sabbath and exalting Sunday 
in its place. 

It might be said that this decree was the expiring act of 
heathenism. In one sense it was so ; but the kind of Chris- 
tianity which took its place really resembled heathenism 
more than it did the pure and humble religion of Christ 
and his apostles. This remark at first may seem harsh and 
incredible ; but truly the reflecting, observing mind must 
admit its truthfulness. 

Where is the Resemblance? 

What resemblance is there between the plain, simple forms 
of worship observable in the ministry of Christ and the 
apostles, and the gorgeous, pompous ceremonials of the 
Catholic Church? What resemblance is there in the ap- 
pearance, manners, and dress of the two, — in our Saviour 
going about on foot, a man of sorrows and acquainted with 
grief, healing the sick and benefiting all, clad in his seam- 
less coat, the garb of the poor ; and the lordly priest, clad 
in his official robes of purple and scarlet, bowing before 
images with his train of attendants, and exacting the high- 
est homage? What resemblance is there in the doctrines 
of the two? Christ taught the need of repentance, faith, 
baptism, and the living of a humble, pure, holy life of 



118 



THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 



obedience to the truths of God's word and 
the principles of God's law. But look at 
the Catholic ceremonials, the confessions to 
the priest, the prayers for souls in purga- 
tory, the holy water, vows of celibacy, wor- 
shiping of images, elevating and adoring 
bread, believing it to be the actual flesh of 
our Lord and Saviour ! And what' resem- 
blance is there in the spirit of the two? 
Our Saviour was ever seeking to alleviate 
suffering, to benefit all within his reach. 
He wept over the people of Jerusalem be- 
cause they would not let him save them ; 
he prayed, even for his enemies, while 
hanging on the cross in the greatest agony. 
On the other hand, look at the bloody 
Crusades, at the massacre on St. Bartholo- 
mew's day, when the blood of poor Hugue- 
nots ran down the streets of Paris, w r hen 
the papists surprised them through decep- 
tion ; and look at the poor Waldenses, 
butchered by thousands — men, women, 
children — because they would not take the 
pope's authority instead of the Scriptures 
as their rule of action. See the Inquisition 
with its horrors ; men and women tortured 
on the rack, or starved to death in deep 
dungeons. These things were done when 
the Roman Church had the power. What, 
we say, are the resemblances between their 
practices and the pure religion of Jesus? 
But there is a striking resemblance on 
the other hand between heathenism and 
the ceremonies, manners, forms of worship, 
bowing to images, resplendent robes, and 



LAW FOR RESTING ON SUNDAY 



119 



persecuting spirit of Catholicism; indeed, 
many Catholics themselves admit that many 
of their customs were derived from the 
heathen. On this interesting point we will 
venture to quote from two eminent Cath- 
olic writers. Cardinal Baronius, perhaps 
the most reliable writer in that church, 
says : — 

" That many things have been laudably trans- 
lated from Gentile superstition into the Chris- 
tian religion, hath been demonstrated by many 
examples and the authority of the Fathers, And 
what wonder if the holy bishops have granted 
that the most ancient customs of the Gentiles 
should be introduced into the worship of the 
true God, from which it seemed impossible to 
take off many, though converted to Christianity?" 

Bervaldus, another Catholic writer, speaks 
as follows : — 

" When I call to mind the institutions of the 
holy mysteries of the heathen, I am forced to 
believe that most things appertaining to the cele- 
bration of our solemnities and ceremonies are 
taken thence; as, for example, from the Gen- 
tile religion the shaven heads of the priests, 
turning round of the altar, sacrificial pomps, and 
many such like ceremonies which our priests sol- 
emnly use in our mysteries. How many things 
in our religion are like the Roman religion! 
How many rites common! " 

Truly our remark that Catholicism re- 
sembles the heathen worship more than it 
does the religion of Christ, cannot be de- 
nied. Catholicism is a system of mixed 
Christianity and heathenism, with the latter 
predominating. 



120 THE CHANGE Of THE SABBATH 

A Heathen Union Consummated. 

The edict of Constantine, and the full adoption of the 
heathen Sunday by the church, marks the point where this 
heathen union was consummated. Constantine at this point 
represented the heathen, being an ardent sun-worshiper. 
Pope Sylvester, at that time bishop of Rome, -represented 
the Catholic Church. In its efforts to elevate Sunday, 
this church joyfully accepted his heathen decree and heathen 
day, and thus fully blended the heathen system with their 
corrupted form of Christianity. From that point the bar- 
riers were broken down, and heathen and heathenism largely 
took possession of the church. At this point, so history 
informs us, many of the humble. God-fearing Christians 
withdrew into retired places, where they could still wor- 
ship God according to the Scriptures. 

Sunday First Called "Lord's Day." 

Pope Sylvester, by his apostolical authority, changed the 
name of the day, giving it the imposing title of " Lord's 
Day." (See " Ecclesiastical History of Lucius," cent. 4, cap. 
10, pp. 739, 740.) It had been called by that title by a few 
writers before ; but Sylvester, as head of the church, now 
officially decided that its title should be " Lord's Day/' 
Thus Constantine elevated the Sunday as a heathen festi- 
val to be observed throughout the empire, while Sylvester 
changed it into a Christian institution, dignifying it by the 
title of " Lord's Day." 

Concerning the grounds upon which Sunday stands, we 
will here give a quotation from Dr. Heylyn : — 

"Thus do we see upon what grounds the Lord's day stands: on 
custom first and voluntary consecration of it to religious meetings ; 
that custom countenanced by the authority of the church of God, 
which tacitly approved the same; and finally confirmed and rati- 
fied by the Christian princes throughout their empires. And as the 
day for rest from labors and restraint from business upon that 
day, [it] received its greatest strength from the supreme magistrate 



LAW FOR RUSTING ON SUNDAY 121 

as long as he retained that power which to him belongs ; as after 
from the canons and decrees of councils, the decretals of popes 
and orders of particular prelates when the sole managing of 
ecclesiastical affairs was committed to them." — History of the 
Sabbath, part 2, chap. 3, sec. 12. 

Here we have truly set before us the authority on which 
the Sunday Sabbath rests. How different from that for 
the Sabbath of the Lord ! The former is wholly human ; 
the latter, wholly divine. The former originated in heathen- 
ism and idolatry, and was finally adopted as a rest-day by 
a corrupted church on the authority of a Roman tyrant ; the 
latter began by the act of God himself, at the creation of 
the world, in resting, blessing, and setting apart the day 
for man to keep, and in commanding his people to observe 
it for all time. 

Eusebius, who was a bishop, and a great flatterer and 

favorite of the Emperor Constantine, seems to admit that 

the change wrought in the Sabbath at this time was by 

human authority. He says : — 

"All things whatsoever that it was duty to do on the Sab- 
bath, these we have transferred to the Lord's day." — Cox's Sab- 
bath Literature, Vol. I, p. 361. 

We see at last a change of the Sabbath quite fully 
wrought, at least to this extent, that the Sabbath was de- 
graded by a Catholic council, and denounced under a curse 
as heretical, and that the Sunday was generally considered 
a day for public worship, and for at least partial rest. We 
will next notice other steps by which the latter was rendered 
still more sacred in the eyes of the people. 



SUNDAY DOWN TO THE^REFORMATION 




CHAPTER XV 




AVING noticed quite carefully the steps by 
which Sunday reached an influential position in 
the time of Constantine, it will not be necessary 
to cite many more authorities. We will give 
only a few evidences showing how the Romish 
Church still carefully fostered this favorite child, and left 
nothing undone that it could do to render it still more sacred. 
It will be remembered that the important decree by Con- 
stantine, which was the first command in behalf of Sunday 
requiring any one to rest on the first day of the week, 
gave permission to those engaged in agriculture to work 
on that day. It was not long until this permission was 
set aside, and all were commanded to rest on the venerable 
Sunday. 

Pope Leo took certain steps in the fifth century to make 
up the deficiencies in the Sunday laws, and add to the 
honor of this favorite institution. He required that all or- 
dinations should be conferred on this day and no other. 
Heylyn says : — 

" A law [was] made by Leo, then pope of Rome, and generally 
since taken up in the Western church, that they should be con- 
ferred upon no day else." — History of the Sabbath, part 2, chap. 
4, sec. 8. 

According to Dr. Justin Edwards, this same pope made 
this decree in behalf of Sunday: — 

(122) 



SUNDAY DOWN TO THE REFORMATION 123 

" We ordain, according to the true meaning of the Holy Ghost, 

and of the apostles as thereby directed, that on the sacred day 

wherein our own integrity was restored, all do rest and cease 
from labor." — Sabbath Manual, p. 123. 

Emperor Leo, a. d. 469, put forth the following decree 
in behalf of Sunday : — 

" It is our will and pleasure, that the holy days dedicated to 
the most high God, should not be spent in sensual recreations, or 
otherwise profaned by suits of law, especially the Lord's day, 
which we decree to be a venerable day, and therefore free it 
of all citations executions, pleadings, and the like avocations. . . . 
If any will presume to offend in the premises, if he be a military 
man, let him lose his commission ; or if other, let his estate or 
goods be confiscated. . . . We command, therefore, all, as well 
husbandmen as others, to forbear work on this day of our resto- 
ration." — Dialogues on the Lord's Day, pp. 25Q, 260. 

Here we see, first, the pope ordaining that all cease from 
labor on Sunday. Then the emperor steps in and sup- 
ports this action. Full human authority is now given to rest 
on Sunday. All classes must obey, on penalty of fines or 
confiscation of all their property. We do not wonder, then, 
that in that age, when few had Bibles and tradition was gen- 
erally followed, Sunday came to be generaly observed. We 
learn that just previous to this time, however, Sunday was 
not very strictly observed as a rest day. 

Kitto says : — 

"Chrysostom (a. d. 360) concludes one of his homilies by 
dismissing his audience to their respective ordinary occupations." 

— Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature, art. Lord's Day. 

Heylyn bears witness concerning St. Chrysostom, that 
he— 

" Confessed it to be lawful for a man to look unto his worldly 
business on the Lord's day, after the congregation was dismissed." 

— History of the Sabbath, part 2, chap. 3, sec. 9. 

St. Jerome, in his commendation of the very pious lady 
Paula, speaks thus of Sunday labor : — 



124 THE CHANGE OF TUB SABBATH 

" Paula, with the women, as soon as they returned home on 

the Lord's day, they sat down severally to their work, and made 

clothes for themselves and others.'' — Dialogues on the Lord's Day, 
p. 234. 

The bishop of El}' thus testifies: — 

" In St. Jerome's days, and in the very place where he was 
residing, the devoutest Christians did ordinarily work upon the 
Lord's day, when the service of the church was ended." — Trea- 
tise of the Sabbath Day, p. 21Q. 

There is a vast difference between divine and human 
authority. The latter cannot control the conscience as the 
former can. These persons knew very well that the Sunday 
rested upon only human authority. It was a gradual pro- 
cess, taking quite a space of time before Sunday gained 
the position it now holds. Dr. Heylyn bears the following 
testimony concerning the status of Sunday during the fifth 
and sixth centuries : — 

" The faithful being united better than before, became more 
uniform in matters of devotion; and in that uniformity did agree 
together to give the Lord's day all the honors of an holy festival. 
Yet was not this done all at once, but by degrees, the fifth and 
sixth centuries being wellnigh spent before it came into that height 
which hath since continued. The emperors and the prelates in 
these times had the same affections ; both [being] earnest to ad- 
vance this day above all other; and to the edicts of the one, and 
ecclesiastical constitutions of the other, it stands indebted for many 
of those privileges and exemptions which it still enjoyeth." — 
History of the Sabbath, part 2, chap. 4, sec. 1. 

Here we see the same solicitude in behalf of Sunday 
on the part of the " prelates " of the church, which has ap- 
peared all along since apostasy and corruption first entered 
after the days of the apostles. They zuere " earnest to ad- 
vance this day above all other." This change of the Sab- 
bath was really the work of the Roman Catholic Church. 
Tt was this that influenced the emperors and civil rulers. 



SUNDAY DOWN TO THE REFORMATION 125 

Sunday First Calle d Sabbath. 

There was one honor, however, still belonging to the 
seventh day, which Sunday had not acquired. Thus the 
bishop of Ely says : — 

" When the ancient Fathers distinguish and give proper names 
to the particular days of the week, they always style the Saturday, 
' Sabbatum, the Sabbath,' and the Sunday, or first day of the week, 
' Dominicum, the Lord's da}-.'" — Treatise of the Sabbath Day, 
p. 202. 

This statement, however, must not be taken as referring 
to an earlier writer than Tertullian. He first called it the 
Lord's day about a. d. 200. It is doubtless true of the 
later Fathers. 

Brerewood says : — 

w The name of the Sabbath remained appropriated to the old 
Sabbath, and was never attributed to the Lord's day, not of many 
hundred years after our Saviour's time." — Learned Treatise of 
the Sabbath, p. 73, cd. 1631. 

Dr. Heylyn says of the term " Sabbath " in the ancient 
church : — 

" The Saturday is called among them by no other name than 
that which formerly it had, the Sabbath. So that whenever 
for a thousand years and upwards, we meet with Sabbatum in 
any writer of what name soever, it must be understood of no 
day but Saturday." — History of the Sabbath, part 2, chap. 2, sec. 12. 

Again he says : — 

"The first who ever used it to denote the Lord's day (the 
first that I have met with in all this search) is one Petrus Alfonsus 
— he lived about the time that Rupertus did [which was the be- 
ginning of the twelfth century] — who calls the Lord's day by the 
name of Christian Sabbath." — Idem, part 2, chap. 5, sec. 13. 

This is a striking fact which should never be forgotten 
in the investigation of this question. It was not until the 
middle of the Dark Ages that Sunday was ever called the 
Sabbath- The ancient Sabbath retained its own distinctive 
title for eleven hundred years after Christ, and no other 



126 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

day during all this period was known by this title but the 
seventh day. Not an instance can be found in history to 
the contrary. 

Sunday steadily advanced in popular favor down to the 
beginning of the sixth century, becoming the usual day on 
which public meetings were held, and at least a partial rest- 
day, but had never yet been called the Sabbath. 

The next six or seven centuries from this time was an 
age of great barbarism and spiritual darkness. Men's minds 
were controlled by the grossest superstitions. The power of 
the pope was almost supreme. Not one person in a hundred 
could read or write, and books were very few and expensive. 
The Bible was banished from the hands of the common 
people, and nearly every copy was in either Greek or Latin, 
languages which at this time were not spoken by the masses. 
Very few persons, comparatively, ever saw a Bible. During 
a part of this time, it was considered a great crime for 
a common person to be found reading the Bible, and the 
offense was punishment by the Inquisition. 

It is not necessary that we should carefully note the steps 
by which Sunday attained to a higher power in such an 
age. We have already seen how, step by step, it stealthily 
advanced until that time, first asking only toleration, next 
claiming equality with the ancient Sabbath, and then taking 
a position above it as a joyous day, while the latter was 
made a fast day. Afterward it was called the Lord's day 
of apostolic times. Finally it was advanced by heathen em- 
peror and Roman pope to the dignity of a day of partial 
rest. It cast the creation Sabbath aside by Catholic coun- 
sel, declaring that all who observed it were heretics, and 
placed them under a curse ; and lastly, it was sustained by 
popes, emperors, and councils, claiming the whole field as 
its own. From this time forward, at every convenient oc- 
casion, a Catholic council would put forth a canon in behalf 
of the " venerable day of the sun," striving to make the 
people observe it more sacredly. 



SUNDAY DOWN TO THE REFORMATION 127 

Councils Favoring Sunday. 

It would weary the mind of the reader were we to give 
a list of all these, and what they said concerning this pet 
institution of the Church of Rome. We will, however, 
mention a few of the Roman Catholic councils. 

The first Council of Orleans, a. d. 507, " obliged them- 
selves and successors to be always at church on the Lord's 
day." The third Council of Orleans, a. d. 538, required ag- 
ricultural labor to be laid aside on the Lord's day, " in 
order that the people may not be prevented from attend- 
ing church." 

In 538 another council was held at Mascon, a town in Bur- 
gundy, because " Christian people very much neglect and 
slight the Lord's day," giving themselves to common work, 
etc. The bishops warned them against such practices, and 
commanded them to keep the Lord's day. 

About a year later another council was held in Narbonne, 
which forbade all persons from doing any work on the 
Lord's day, on penalty of a " fine if a freeman," or of 
" being lashed if a servant." 

In 654 a council was held at Chalons, another in England 
in 692, also one in 747, one in Bavaria in yj2, again one in 
England in 784. Five councils were called by Charlemagne 
in the year 813, and one was held in Rome in 826. In all 
of these, strong efforts were made to build up the Sunday 
sacredness. Many others were also held for the same 
purpose. 

But as these laws failed to accomplish all that the Cath- 
olics desired, and Sunday was still but poorly kept, they 
had recourse to miracles, — a very popular argument with 
the Roman Church. Gregory of Tours, a. d. 570, furnishes 
several. A husbandman went out to plow on the Lord's 
day, and trying to clean his plow with an iron, " the iron 
stuck fast to his hand for two years, ... to his exceeding 
great pain and shame." Some were killed by lightning for 



128 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

working on that day. Others were seized with convulsions. 
Apparitions appeared to kings, charging them to enforce 
Sunday sacredness. A miller was at one time grinding corn 
on Sunday, and instead of the usual production of meal, 
a torrent of blood came forth. At another time a woman 
was trying to bake her bread upon this venerable day, but 
upon putting it in the oven, it remained only dough. It 
was said of the souls in purgatory that on every — 

" Lord's day they were manumitted from their pains, and fluttered 
up and down the lake Avernus in the shape of birds." — Heylyn's 
History of the Sabbath, part 2, chap. 5, sec. 2. 

Divine Authority Claimed for Sunday. 

It seems a little strange to us to read of such things ; 
but they were regarded as sober facts by the historians of 
those times, and as strong arguments for Sunday sacredness. 

We must not fail to mention the roll " which came 
down from heaven," in which the first authority from 
Christ is found in behalf of Sunday. The one great lack 
hitherto had been divine authority for it. None was claimed 
by the early Fathers. ' Tradition " and " custom," as we 
have seen, were all the authority for it which could be found 
until emperors and popes added theirs. But even in those 
dark ages the want of something more was needed. Council 
after council was held to enforce it, yet the people were not 
so impressed by them that they would wholly refrain from 
labor on the venerable Sunday. Something more must be 
obtained. 

In the year 1200, Eustace, the abbot of Flaye, in Nor- 
mandy, came to England, and labored very ardently in be- 
half of Sunday. But meeting with opposition in his efforts, 
he returned to Normandy. Although repulsed, he did not 
abandon the contest. After remaining there about a year, 
he returned with this remarkable roll. It was entitled — 



SUNDAY DOWN TO THE REFORMATION 129 

"the holy commandment as to the lord's day, 

" Which came from heaven to Jerusalem, and was found upon 
the altar of Saint Simeon, in Golgotha, where Christ was crucified 
for the sins of the world. The Lord sent down this epistle, which 
was found upon the altar of Saint Simeon, and after looking upon 
which three days and three nights, some men fell upon the earth 
imploring mercy of God. And after the third hour, the patriarch 
arose, and Acharias, the archbishop, and they opened the scroll, and 
received the holy epistle from God. And when they had taken the 
same, they found this writing therein : — 

: ' I am the Lord who commanded you to observe the holy day of 
the Lord, and ye have not kept it, and have not repented of your 
sins, as I have said in my gospel, " Heaven and earth shall pass 
away, but my words shall not pass away." Whereas I cause to be 
preached unto you repentance and amendment of life, you did not 
believe me, I have sent against you the pagans, who have shed your 
blood on the earth ; and yet you have not believed ; and because you 
did not keep the Lord's day holy, for a few days you suffered hun- 
ger, but soon I gave you fulness, and after that you did still worse 
again. Once more, it is my will that no one from the ninth hour on 
Saturday until sunrise on Monday, shall do no work except that 
which is good. 

" 'And if any person shall do so, he shall with penance make 
amends for the same. And if you do not pay obedience to this 
command, verily I say unto you, and I swear unto you, by my seat, 
and by my throne, and by the cherubim who watch my holy seat, 
that I will give you my commands by no other epistle, but I will 
open the heavens, and for rain I will drop upon you stones, and 
wood, and hot water in the night, that no one may take precautions 
against the same, and so that I may destroy all wicked men. 

" ' This do I say unto you ; for the Lord's holy day, you shall die 
the death ; and for the other festivals of my saints which you have 
not kept, I will send unto you beasts which have the heads of 
lions, the hair of women, the tails of camels, and they shall be so 
ravenous that they shall devour your flesh, and you shall long to 
flee away to the tombs of the dead, and to hide yourselves for fear 
of the beasts ; and I will take away the light of the sun from before 
your eyes, and will send darkness upon you, that not seeing, you 
may slay one another, and that I may remove from you my face, 
and may not show mercy upon you. For I will burn the bodies and 
the hearts of you, and of all those who do not keep as holy the 
day of the Lord.'" (See Andrews's "History of the Sabbath," 
9 



130 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

second edition, pp. 386-389; Matthew Paris's " Historia Major," pp. 
200, 201, edition 1640; Heylyn's "History of the Sabbath," part 2, 
chap. 7, sec. 5; Morer's "Lord's Day," pp. 288-290; Gilfillan's "The 
Sabbath," p. 399, and many others.) 

We have given over one half of this famous document, 
which in view of our brief space, will perhaps suffice. That 
such a document was actually brought into England at the 
time mentioned, and used with strong effect to enforce the 
observance of Sunday, does not admit of any doubt. It is 
substantiated by all the reliable historians of that age. To 
read such a document in this skeptical age, may appear to 
us a little ludicrous. But at the time it was written, the 
height of the Dark Ages, it was far different. That was the 
age of relics, — an age when a nail or a piece of wood of 
the true cross was of inestimable value ; when the bones, 
toe-nails, and other mementoes of the saints were consid- 
ered of the highest worth. The credulity of the people 
knew no bounds, and the Romish priests took every advan- 
tage of it. It was by such means as this that support was 
supplied and holiness ascribed to the " venerable day of the 
sun/' 

There is no question but that this remarkable document 
came from the pope himself. This is stated on the author- 
ity of Matthew Paris, who, Dr. Murdoch says, " is accounted 
the best historian of the Middle Ages, — learned, inde- 
pendent, honest, and judicious." Mosheim also says that 
the first place was due to him as " a writer of the highest 
merit." 

This writer says : — 

" But when the patriarch and clergy of all the Holy Land had 
diligently examined the contents of this epistle, it was decreed in a 
general deliberation that the epistle should be sent to the judgment 
of the Roman pontiff, seeing that whatever he decreed to be done, 
would please all. And when at length the epistle had come to the 
knowledge of the lord pope, immediately he ordained heralds, who, 
being sent through different parts of the world, preached everywhere 
the doctrine of this epistle, . . . among whom the abbot of Flay, 



SUNDAY DOWN TO THE REFORMATION 131 

Eustachius by name, a devout and learned man, having entered the 
kingdom of England, did there shine with many miracles." — Mat- 
thew Paris's Historia Major, p. 201. 

Innocent III. was pope at that time, and no pontiff that 
ever sat in the papal chair exceeded him in efforts to elevate 
and strengthen the popish power. It was by such steps 
as these that the Romish Church advanced the interests of 
Sunday. Custom, tradition, the edicts of emperors, popes, 
and councils, counterfeit miracles, and rolls manufactured 
by priestly craft, and palmed off as of heavenly origin, upon 
the ignorant, bigoted, and credulous multitude by the sanc- 
tion of the pope and higher prelates, — these are the founda- 
tions upon which the Sunday Sabbath rests. 

It is stated by historians that the Lord's day was better 
observed because of this second roll, and the work of this 
zealous abbot in England. It had, doubtless, a strong in- 
fluence in many places in that superstitious age. 

Having thus traced the Sunday down to the middle of 
the Dark Ages, we will next notice it in the time of the 
Reformation. 




ATTITUDE OF THE REFORMERS 
TOWARD SUNDAY 





CHAPTER XVI. 




HOUGH the position the Reformers took in 
relation to the first day of the week is not di- 
rectly connected with the main object of these 
2\ articles, we cannot forego a brief chapter on 
this subject. Our investigation of the rise of 



Sunday to prominence as a sacred day in the church, has 
thus far been wholly connected with the apostasy, which 
finally developed into the papacy. The rise of Sunday kept 
even pace with the work of corruption in the church, so 
that the highest point of Romish apostasy was contemporary 
with the highest degree of Sunday sacredness. The in- 
quiring reader will be anxious to know what ground the 
great Reformers took relative to this institution. We will 
answer briefly. 

The great Reformation of the sixteenth century arose in 
the bosom of the Catholic Church itself. Many of the Re- 
formers were priests of that church before the Reformation 
commenced. All of them had been trained up in its com- 
munion, and were accustomed to observe its festivals, and 
had, at first, full respect for its authority. They were, in 
short, good Catholics when they began the work of reform. 
From their earliest infancy trjey had reverenced the institu- 
tions of the church, and at first never dreamed of leaving 
the church or of rebelling against the pope. They doubtless 

(132) 



ATTITUDE OF THE REFORMERS 133 

would have remained in the bosom of the church had they 
not been so pressed by their enemies that, driven to the 
wall, they had to take their stand. 

Under such circumstances it could not be expected that 
these men in that age of reverence for the hoary past would 
be able to set all the errors into which the church had 
drifted, or come back at once to the complete purity of apos- 
tolic religion. These men are deserving of high honor for 
the great advance out of darkness which they did make, 
and God greatly blessed their labors. But reformation since 
their time has still continued, and doubtless will continue 
till the close of time. No men of any one generation are 
entitled to all the credit for the blessed light of our age. 
It has been gradually dawning. 

Mosheim well says : — ■ 

"The vindicators of religious liberty do not discover all truth in 
an instant, but like persons emerging from long darkness, their 
vision improves gradually." 

Dean Stanley says : — 

*' Each age of the church has, as it were, turned over a new leaf 
in the Bible, and found a response to its own wants.'' — History of 
the Eastern Church, p. 79, ed. 1872. 

The Protestants of the present day would not accept all 
that the early Reformers believed. It is well known that 
Martin Luther and many others held fast to the doctrine 
ot consubstantiation, that is, " to a real and corporeal pres- 
ence oi the body and blood of Christ, in, under, or along 
with the bread and wine/' — Mosheim. Many things were 
held and tolerated which we would not now think consistent. 
It causes no surprise, therefore, that most of the Reformers 
did not see all the truth ot God's word concerning the an- 
cient Sabbath. After a thousand \ears of such gross dark- 
ness, while tradition was generally reckoned to be of 
supreme authoritv, this would have been too much to expect. 

But what was the position taken by them concerning 
Sunday sacredness? Did they regard it as the day which 



184 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

Christ had set apart as the Christian Sabbath? Did they 
consider there was any scriptural authority for it? that 
it was sin to do ordinary work upon it? or that there was 
and command of God that it should be kept holy? Or did 
they consider it merely a festival day, like Christmas, Good 
Friday, or other days appointed by the church? We quote 
as follows : — 

" In the Augsburg Confession, which was drawn up by Melanch- 
thon [and approved by Luther], to the question, 'What ought we to 
think of the Lord's day?' it is answered that the Lord's day, 
Easter, Whitsuntide, and other such holy days ought to be kept, 
because they are appointed by the church, that all things may be 
done in order; but that the observance of them is not to be 
thought necessary to salvation, nor the violation of them, if it 
be done without offense to others, to be regarded as a sin." 
— Cox's Sabbath Laws, p. 28/. 

The Confession of the Swiss churches says on this point : — 

"The observance of the Lord's day is founded not on any com- 
mandment of God, but on the authority of the church ; and the 
church may alter the day at pleasure." — Idem. 

Tyndale, the great English Reformer, said : — 

"As for the Sabbath, we be lords over the Sabbath, and may yet 
change it into Monday, or into any other day as we see need, or 
may make every tenth day holy only if we see cause why ! " 
— Tyndale's Answer to More, book 1, chap. 25. 

Zwingle, the great Swiss Reformer, regarded it thus : — 
" For we are no way bound to time, but time ought so to serve 
us, that it is lawful, and permitted to each church, when necessity 
urges (as is usual to be done in harvest time), to transfer the solem- 
nity and rest of the Lord's day, or Sabbath, to some other day." — 
Hessey, p. 352. 

John Calvin said respecting the Sunday festival : — 

" However, the ancients have not without sufficient reason substi- 
tuted what we call the Lord's day in the room of the Sabbath. . . . 
Yet I do not lay so much stress on the septenary number that I 
would oblige the church to an invariable adherence to it; nor will 
I condemn those churches which have other solemn days for their 
assemblies, provided they keep at a distance from superstition." — 



ATTITUDE OF THE REFORMERS 135 

Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, translated by John 
Allen, book 2, chap. 8, sec. 34. 

These word from Calvin, the founder of the Presbyterian 
Church, the strictest observers of Sunday, perhaps, of any 
denomination, may surprise many. But we shall find that 
their views of Sunday strictness were of later origin. 
Certainly Calvin did not share in them ; for it seems he him- 
self was not particularly strict as a Sunday-keeper. Dr. 
Hessey says: — 

" Knox, the intimate friend of Calvin, visited Calvin, and, it is 
said, and on one occasion found him enjoying the recreation of 
bowls on Sunday." — Hessey's Bampton Lectures on Sunday, p. 201, 
ed. 1866. 

Calvin had Servitus arrested on Sunday. John Barclay, 
a learned man of Scotch descent, whose early life was spent 
near Geneva, published the statement that Calvin and his 
friends at Geneva — 

" Debated whether the reformed, for the purpose of enstranging 
themselves more completely from the Romish Church, should not 
adopt Thursday as the Christian Sabbath," one reason assigned by 
Calvin being, "that it would be a proper instance of Christian 
liberty." 

These statements have been credited by many learned 
Protestants, and we are not aware that they have ever been 
disproved. Knox was not such a believer in the sacredness 
of Sunday as Presbyterians now are. Thus we see the lead- 
ing Reformers were not believers in Sunday sacredness, as 
many modern Protestants are. They considered it a church 
festival, and not as receiving its authority from the fourth 
commandment. 

Carlstadt, the German Reformer, kept the seventh-day 
Sabbath. He was a leading Reformer, one who went 
farther in opposition to the Roman Church than Luther and 
many others. His position was in some respects more con- 
sistent than Luther's. He insisted on rejecting everything 
in the Catholic Church not authorized by the Scriptures, 
while Luther was determined to retain everything not ex- 



136 THIS CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

pressly forbidden. Had Carlstadt's position been taken, the 
Protestant churches would have come much nearer the truth 
of the Bible on the Sabbath question than it has. 

Many will doubtless be surprised at these evidences of 
the low regard these early Reformers had for the Sunday 
Sabbath, admitting, as they did, that it was wholly an in- 
stitution of the church, and not required in the Scriptures. 
It is well known that this is not now the general position 
of many of the Protestant churches. They consider Sunday 
the Sabbath by divine appointment, and would highly resent 
such sentiments as history records concerning the opinions 
of the leading Reformers. Some may doubt the truthful- 
ness of these statements ; but we assure them that there are 
no facts better attested, and that we could present much evi- 
dence on this point substantiating what we have already said. 

The real facts are these : In the great controversy in 
England between the Episcopalians and the Presbyterians, 
in the latter part of the sixteenth century, the Presbyterians 
rejected the authority of the church and most of its fes- 
tivals, while the Episcopalians required men to observe all 
the festivals of the church ; hence it was clearly seen that 
in order to maintain the authority of Sunday, which the 
Presbyterians kept, they must find some other arguments 
in its behalf than those which had sustained it for so many 
ages. They had therefore either to give up Sunday, or 
try to find arguments for it in the Bible. They chose the 
latter course. 

The Seventh-Part-of-Time Theory, 

Lyman Coleman, a first-day historian, thus states the 
promulgation of the modern opinion : — 

"The true doctrine of the Christian Sabbath \vas first promul- 
gated by an English dissenter, the Rev. Nicholas Bound, D. D., of 
Norton, in the county of Suffolk. About the 3^ear 1595 he published 
a famous book, entitled ' Sabbathum Veteris et Novi Testamenti,' or 
the ' True Doctrine of the Sabbath.' In this book he, maintained 
' that the seventh part of our time ought to be devoted to God ; that 



ATTITUDE OF THE REFORMERS 137 

Christians are bound to rest on the Lord's day as much as the 
Jews were on the Mosaic Sabbath, the commandment about rest 
being moral and perpetual ; and that it was not lawful for persons to 
follow their studies or worldly business on that day, nor to use 
such pleasures and recreations as are permitted on other days.' 
This book spread with wonderful rapidity. The doctrine which it 
propounded called forth from many hearts a ready response, and the 
result was a most pleasing reformation in many parts of the king- 
dom. ' It is almost incredible,' says Fuller, ' how taking this doctrine 
was, partly because of its own purity, and partly for the eminent 
piety of such persons as maintained it; so that the Lord's day, 
especially in corporations, began to be precisely kept; people becom- 
ing a law unto themselves, forbearing such sports as yet by statutes 
permitted; yea, many rejoicing at their own restraint herein.'" — 
Coleman's Ancient Christianity Exemplified, chap. 26 , sec. 2. 

This new doctrine " spread with wonderful rapidity," 
and has since been substantially adopted by many of the 
Protestant churches, but not by all. It is now the popular 
doctrine of the change of the Sabbath which is generally 
held. Scattered hints of this doctrine in parts have been 
held before by a few ; but it had never been put forth as 
a whole in the form of a system. During some fourteen 
centuries of first-day Sabbath agitation, such a doctrine 
had never been promulgated. The Christian Fathers, to 
whom Sunday elevation is remotely traced, never heard of 
such a doctrine. The change they wrought was for an en- 
tirely different reason. It was founded upon " custom," 
" tradition," " voluntary choice," but never upon any Bible 
authority, never upon the fourth commandment. 

A Preposterous Claim. 

Of all the arrogant, preposterous claims — and they have 
been many — put forth in behalf of the " venerable day of 
the sun," the most preposterous is reserved for the last, — 
that of claiming for it the authority of the fourth command- 
ment. It took some fourteen centuries to invent this claim, 
so contrary to the Bible record. If it is not " stealing the 
livery of heaven," for the first day of the week to shield 



138 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

itself under and clothe itself with the commandment of 
God, — " Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy," " the 
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God," — then 
we know not what would be. The command requiring us 
to observe the day of Jehovah's rest which he blessed and 
set apart for a sacred use at the creation of the world, for 
man to keep ever holy, is now sanctimoniously appropriated 
to bolster up another day entirely, the one on which he 
began his work of creation. We do not know how mortal 
man could go farther in doing despite to the rest-day of 
the great God. 

Here is where first-day observers have intrenched them- 
selves for some two hundred years past. Here is where 
we find them to-day. The great heathen " memorial " of 
idolatry intrenched in the sacred temple of the memorial of 
the Creator! The first day of the week claiming as its 
fundamental authority the commandment of God which was 
given to enforce the observance of the seventh day, an en- 
tirely different day ! 

Well does J. N. Andrews say concerning this last step 
taken to save Sunday : — 

" Such was the origin of the seventh-part-of-time theory, by which 
the seventh day is dropped out of the fourth commandment, and one 
day in seven slipped into its place, — a doctrine most opportunely 
framed at the very period when nothing else could save the vener- 
able day of the sun. With the aid of this theor)', the Sunday of 
* pope and pagan ' was able coolly to wrap itself in the fourth com- 
mandment, and then, in the character of a divine institution, to 
challenge obedience from all Bible Christians. It could not cast 
away the other frauds on which its very existence had depended, 
and support its authority by this one alone. In the time of Constan- 
tine it ascended to the throne of the Roman empire, and during the 
whole period of the Dark Ages it maintained its supremacy from 
the chair of St. Peter ; but now it had ascended to the throne of the 
Most High. And thus a day which God ' commanded not nor 
spake it, neither came it into' his 'mind,' was enjoined upon 
mankind with all the authority of his holy law." — History of the 
Sabbath, pp. 479, 480. 



TRACES OF THE SABBATH WHERE THE 
CATHOLIC CHURCH COULD NOT SUP 

PRESS IT 




CHAPTER XVII. 




'AVING traced the Sunday Sabbath from its 
first beginnings through the Dark Ages to its 
full adoption by the Protestant churches, we 
now return to the true Sabbath, to notice briefly 
its status since the Roman Catholic Church 
caused it to be discontinued where it had the power to do 
so. It will be remembered that we gave clear proof that it 
was kept in the early church for centuries, even till the 
Catholic Council of Laodicea, in a. d. 364, abrogated it by 
an anathema. From that time forward it gradually dis- 
appeared from view in those countries where the Catholic 
Church had supreme influence. That church has made the 
most persistent efforts, in every way possible, to crush 
out the ancient Sabbath, seeming to realize that those who 
clung to it struck at the very foundation of her claims. 

Sunday stands upon the authority of tradition ; the Sab- 
bath stands upon the authority of the commandments of 
God. When Sunday is observed, one really recognizes the 
ground-work of Catholic authority, viz., tradition, and, log- 
ically speaking, would be bound to accept her other festivals, 
ordinances, etc., which stand on precisely the same authority. 
But when a person ignores Sunday and keeps the Sabbath 
of the Lord, he sets aside every scrap of Catholic tradition, 

(139) 



140 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

so that the whole Catholic stock in trade is gone, together 
with their strongest hold on Protestants. Hence we shall 
ever find Catholics stoutly opposed to the true Sabbath. 

We shall now inquire whether the Sabbath did not con- 
tinue to be observed in various places where the Roman 
Church had not influence enough to suppress it. If this be 
so, it will afford strong additional evidence that the change 
of the Sabbath was wrought by the power of the Catholic 
Church. We shall be able to give only brief historical 
references in proof of this point, referring those who wish 
to investigate the matter thoroughly to the work before 
noticed, Andrews's " History of the Sabbath." 

The Culdees. 

We first notice the early Christians of Great Britain who 
were not connected with Rome before the mission of Augus- 
tine in a. d. 596. These were a pious, humble class of 
people, and were in an eminent degree Bible Christians. 

"An Irish presbyter, Columba, feeling himself stirred with mis- 
sionary zeal, and doubtless knowing the wretched condition of the 
savage Scots and Picts, in the year 565 took with him twelve other 
missionaries and passed over to Scotland." — M'Clintock and Strong's 
Cyclopedia, Vol. II, p. 601. 

They were called Culdees, and settled and made their 
headquarters on the little isle of Iona. They had, for the 
most part, " a simple and primitive form of Christianity," 
very different from the pomp of Romanism. 

Two eminent Catholic authors speak of Columba as 
follows : — 

" Having continued his labors in Scotland thirty-four years, he 
clearly and openly foretold his death, and on Saturday, the ninth of 
June, said to his disciple Diermit, ' This day is called the Sabbath, 
that is, the day of rest, and such will it truly be to me ; for it will 
put an end to my labors.' " — Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, 
and Principal Saints, art. St. Columba, A. D. 597. 

"To-day is Saturday, the day which the Holy Scriptures call the 
Sabbath, or rest. And it will truly be my day of rest, for it shall 



TRACES OF THE SABBATH 141 

be the last of my laborious life." — The Monks of the West, Vol. II, 
p. 104. 

This language proves that Columba believed that Satur- 
day was the true Bible Sabbath. It also shows his satis- 
faction in the fact, in view of his immediate death. We 
have never known an observer of Sunday to have any 
feelings of pleasure on his death-bed in view of the fact 
that Saturday was the Bible Sabbath. Hence we conclude 
that this man of God, the leader of these missionaries, was 
an observer of the ancient Sabbath. 

The Waldenses. 

There has been no class of dissenters from the Catholic 
Church more worthy of regard than the Waldenses, or 
Vaudois, whose principal settlement was in the valleys of 
the Alps in Piedmont, though at times there were com- 
panies of them scattered in many of the countries of Europe. 
Their locating in these valleys occurred between the time 
of Constantine and the full development of the Roman 
Catholic Church. There is some confusion among the va- 
rious authorities as to the exact time. It seems to be a 
settled fact among historians that the cause of their seeking 
these retired valleys was their desire to maintain the purity 
of their religion, and to escape the corrupting influences 
so prevalent in the more thickly populated portions of the 
country. So they retired from public view. 

They had a translation of the Bible in their own tongue, 
and taught it with great diligence to their children. Catholic 
writers declare that some of them could repeat nearly the 
whole of the Holy Scriptures. They sent out missionaries 
to all parts of Europe during the darkest days of the papacy, 
many of whom witnessed for the truth with their lives. 
Multitudes of them died in the various persecutions by the 
Catholics. Time after time they were driven from their 
homes into the mountains and caves, and manv thousands 



142 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

of men, women, and children were put to death, and their 
property and homes confiscated and destroyed. 

There is conclusive evidence that a portion, at least, of 
the Waldenses observed the ancient Sabbath in the days of 
their greatest purity. A considerable portion of this people 
were called by the significant designation of Sabbati, Sab- 
batati, or Insabbatati. Mr. Robinson, the historian, quotes 
out of Gretser the words of Goldastus, a learned Swiss 
historian and jurist, born in 1576, and a Calvinist writer of 
note, as follows : — 

" Insabbatati [they were called] not because they were circum- 
cised, but because they kept the Jewish Sabbath." — Ecclesiastical Re- 
searches, chap. 10, p. 303. 

Archbishop Usher acknowledges that many understood 
they were called by these names because they kept the 
Jewish Sabbath, though he thought it was for another 
reason. 

Just before the great Protestant Reformation, — 

" Louis XII, king of France, being informed by the enemies of 
the Waldenses inhabiting a part of the province of Provence, that 
several heinous crimes were laid to their account, sent the Master 
of Requests a certain doctor of the Sorbonne, who was confessor to 
His Majesty, to make inquiry into the matter. On their return they 
reported that they had visited all the parishes where they dwelt, had 
inspected their places of worship, but they had found there no 
images nor signs of the ornaments belonging to the mass nor any 
of the ceremonies of the Romish Church ; much less could they dis- 
cover any traces of those crimes with which they were charged. 
On the contrary, they kept the Sabbath day, observed the ordinance 
of baptism according to the primitive church, instructed their chil- 
dren in the articles of the Christian faith and the commandments of 
God. The king, having read the report of his commissioners, said 
with an oath that they were better men than himself or his people." 
— Jones's Church History, Vol. II, chap. 5, sec. 4. 

" The respectable French historian De Thou says that the Vaudois 
keep the commandments of the decalogue, and allow among them of 
no wickedness, detesting perjuries, imprecations, quarrels, seditions, 
etc." — History of the Vaudois, by Br esse, p. 126. 



TRACES OF THE SABBATH 143 

The Passaginians. 

One portion of the Waldenses were called Passaginians, 
probably because they lived high up in the passes of the 
Alps. Thus Mosheim speaks of them: — 

" In Lombardy, which was the principal residence of the Italian 
heretics, there sprung up a singular sect, known, for what reason 
I cannot tell, by the denomination of Passaginians, and also by that 
of the Circumcised. Like the other sects already mentioned, they 
had the utmost aversion to the dominion and discipline of the church 
of Rome; but they were at the same time distinguished by two 
religious tenets which were peculiar to themselves. The first was 
a notion that the observance of the law of Moses in everything 
except the offering of sacrifices, was obligatory upon Christians; 
in consequence of which they circumcised their followers, abstained 
from those meats the use of which was prohibited under the Mosaic 
economy, and celebrated the Jewish Sabbath." — Ecclesiastical His- 
tory, cent. 12, part 2, chap. 5, sec. 14. 

But Mr. Benedict, in his " History of the Baptist De- 
nomination," speaks of them as follows : — 

" The account of their practicing circumcision is undoubtedly a 
slanderous story, forged by their enemies, and probably arose in 
this way : Because they observed the seventh day, they were called, 
by way of derision, Jews, as the Sabbatarians are frequently at this 
day; and if they were Jews, it followed, of course, that they either 
did, or ought to, circumcize their followers. This was probably the 
reasoning of their enemies ; but that they actually practiced the 
bloody rite is altogether improbable." — Vol. II, p. 414, ed. 1813. 

Such has ever been the conduct of the Romish Church — 
to blacken the character of its enemies by false reports. 
It is nothing uncommon at the present day for even Prot- 
estant ministers to make such charges upon Sabbatarians — 
that they are Jews, and keep all the law of Moses, because 
they observe the Sabbath. They might know, if they cared 
to, that Sabbatarians make a great distinction between the 
moral law of ten commandments, which requires the ob- 
servance of the seventh-day Sabbath, and the ceremonial 
law of types, shadows, circumcision, etc. The former they 



144 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

believe to be binding on all ; the latter was abolished at the 
cross of Christ. 

The Petrob rusians. 

The Petrobrusians were a sect of French Christians who, 
in the twelfth century, witnessed for God in opposition to 
the papacy. They were also observers of the Sabbath. This 
is stated by Dr. Francis White, lord bishop of Ely, who was 
appointed by the king of England to write against the Sab- 
bath, in opposition to Mr. Brabourne, a Sabbatarian. He 
says: — 

" In St. Bernard's days it was condemned in the Petrobruysans." — 
Treatise of the Sabbath Day, p. 8. 

The Sabbath-keepers of the eleventh century were of suffi- 
cient importance to attract the attention of the pope. Greg- 
ory VII., one of the most lordly, domineering popes that 
ever occupied the papal chair, was at that time ruling the 
church with an iron hand. Dr. Heylyn says that — 

"Gregory, of that name the seventh [about a. d. 1074], condemned 
those who taught that it was not lawful to do work on the day of 
the Sabbath." — History of the Sabbath, part 2, chap. 5, sec. 1. 

This is clear evidence that there was still a respectable 
number of Sabbath-keepers, even in those countries where 
that church had authority ; for surely the pope would not 
pronounce a curse upon them unless such persons existed. 
Thus we see the Sabbath still existing among those opposed 
to the Catholic Church, even in Italy itself, where the pope's 
power was greatest. We now look abroad to countries 
where the pope never had jurisdiction, in search of those 
who still revere the Sabbath of the Lord. 

Sabbath-keepers in Africa. 

The gospel extended its influence all through Northern 
and Central Africa in the early part of the Christian dis- 
pensation. There were many Christian churches on that 
continent. Africa indeed " stretched out her hands to God." 



TRACES OF THE SABBATH 145 

But after the conquest of the northern portions of that 

country by the Mohammedans, and for a long. time before 

that, the Christians of Abyssinia were lost to the rest of the 

Christian world. Says Gibbon : — 

" Encompassed on all sides by the enemies of their religion, the 
Ethiopians slept near a thousand years, forgetful of the world, by 
whom they were forgotten." — Decline and Fall, chap. 47, par, 38. 

But after the great discoveries of the fifteenth and six- 
teenth centuries, they became known again to the Christian 
world. They were found observing the ancient Sabbath, 
although they were greatly affected by the pagan and Mo- 
hammedan errors so long surrounding them, as might be 
expected. Yet it is a fact of no little significance in the 
consideration of this subject, that this large body of Chris- 
tians, which had been so long separated from the influence 
of the Catholic Church, were found after a thousand years 
still observing the seventh day. At the time of their sepa- 
ration from the rest of the Christian world, they, with others, 
were observing both Sunday and Sabbath. When found 
nearly a thousand years later, they were doing the same, 
as Mr. Geddes says : — 

" They deny purgatory, and know nothing of confirmation and ex- 
treme unction ; they condemn graven images ; they keep both 
Saturday and Sunday." — Church History of Ethiopia, pp. 34, 35. 

The embassador of the king of Ethiopia, at the court of 
Lisbon, gave the following reasons for keeping the Sab- 
bath :— 

" Because God, after he had finished the creation of the world, 
rested thereon; which day, as God would have it called the holy of 
holies, so the not celebrating thereof with great honor and devotion 
seems to be plainly contrary to God's will and precept, who will suf- 
fer heaven and earth to pass away sooner than his word; and that, 
especially, since Christ came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill 
it. It is not, therefore, in imitation of the Jews, but in obedience 
to Christ and his holy apostles, that we observe that day." — Church 
History of Ethiopia, pp. 87, 88. 
IO 



146 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

This account was given by the ambassador in 1534. In 
the beginning of the next century the emperor of Abyssinia 
was induced to submit to the pope in these words : — 

" I confess that the pope is the vicar of Christ, the successor of 
St. Peter, and the sovereign of the world. To him I swear true 
obedience, and at his feet I offer my person and kingdom." — Gib- 
bon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, chap. 47, par. 39. 

Let the reader now mark what followed : As soon as the 
emperor had thus submitted himself, he was obliged to 
put forth a decree forbidding the observance of the Sabbath. 
Geddes says he — 

" Set forth a proclamation prohibiting all his subjects, upon severe 
penalties, to observe Saturday any longer." — Church History of 
Ethiopia, pp. 311, 312. 

Gibbon expresses the edict thus : — 

"The Abyssinians were enjoined to work and play on the Sab- 
bath." — Decline and Fall, chap. 47, par. 39. 

Thus we see the Roman Church never missed a chance 
to give the ancient Sabbath a thrust when the opportunity 
presented itself. This one desire has marked its course 
throughout. After a space of time the tyranny of the 
Catholics brought a terrible struggle, which caused their 
overthrow, and the Abyssinians returned to the observance 
of the Sabbath, and have continued to do so ever since. 
These facts present a striking evidence of the hatred of 
the Roman Church toward the Sabbath. It also conclu- 
sively proves the existence of the Sabbath in the church 
where the popish power could not abrogate it. 

The Armenians. 

We next notice the Armenians of the East Indies. Here 
was quite a large body of Christians who had had little or no 
connection with the churches of Europe for many centuries. 
So they were preserved from many of the false doctrines 



TRACES OF THE SABBATH 147 

of the great apostasy. Mr. Massie describes them as 
follows : — 

" Separated from the Western world for a thousand years, they 
were naturally ignorant of many novelties introduced by the coun- 
cils and decrees of the Lateran; and their conformity with the 
faith and practice of the first ages laid them open to the unpardon- 
able guilt of heresy and schism, as estimated by the church of 
Rome. ' We are Christians, and not idolaters,' was their expressive 
reply when required to do homage to the image of the Virgin Mary. 
... La Croze states them at fifteen hundred churches, and as many 
towns and villages. They refused to recognize the pope, and de- 
clared they had never heard of him; they asserted the purity and 
primitive truth of their faith since they came, and their bishops had 
for thirteen hundred years been sent, from the place where the fol- 
lowers of Jesus had first been called Christians." — Continental India, 
Vol. II, pp. 116, 117. 

Mr. Yeates hints at the Sabbatarian character of these 
Christians. He says that Saturday — 

"Among them is a festival day, agreeable to the ancient practice 
of the church." — East Indian Church History, pp. 133, 134. 

The same fact is also again hinted at by the same writer 
as follows : — 

" The inquisition was set up at Goa in the Indies, at the instance 
of Francis Xaverius [a famous Romish saint], who signified by 
letters to the Pope John III., Nov. 10, 1545, 'That the Jewish 
wickedness spreads more and more in the parts of the East Indies 
subject to the kingdom of Portugal, and therefore he earnestly 
besought the said king, that to cure so great an evil he would take 
care to send the office of the Inquisition into those countries.' " — 
Idem, pp. 139, 140. 

There can be no reasonable doubt that the " Jewish wick- 
edness " here referred to is the same as observing Saturday 
" agreeable to the ancient practice of the church," spoken 
of above. We here have another evidence of the hatred of 
the Roman Church to the Sabbath. It must be put down 
by the inquisition, if found in existence where that church 
has authority. 



148 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

In the East Indies. 

Since that time the East Indies have fallen under the 
dominion of Great Britain. Some years since, Mr. Bu- 
chanan, a distinguished minister of the Church of England, 
visited India for the purpose of becoming acquainted with 
this body of Christians. He says they have preserved them- 
selves most free from Mohammedan and papal corruptions, 
and that they have a translation of the Bible in the Armenian 
language, which has been pronounced the " queen of ver- 
sions." He says : — 

"They have preserved the Bible in its purity; and their doctrines 
are, as far as the author knows, the doctrines of the Bible. Besides, 
they maintain the solemn observance of Christian worship through- 
out our empire on the seventh day, and they have as many spires 
pointing to heaven among the Hindoos as we ourselves." — Buchan- 
an's Christian Researches in Asia, p. 259. 

Purchas, a writer of the seventeenth century, also speaks 
of several sects of Eastern Christians, " continuing from 
ancient times," as Syrians, Jacobites, Nestorians, Maronites, 
and Armenians. It seems evident that these are identical 
with those now known as Armenians. He says : — 

"They keep Saturday holy, nor esteem Saturday fast lawful but 
on Easter even. They have solemn service on Saturdays, eat flesh, 
and feast it bravely like the Jews." — Purchas, his Pilgrimage, part 2, 
book 8, chap. 6, sec. 5. 

This writer, like many first-day authors, Catholic and 
Protestant, even at the present time, speaks disrespectfully 
of those Christians who observed the Sabbath.' But this 
testimony, with the others, seems to leave no possible doubt 
that the Armenians observed the Sabbath. 

Andrews, in his " History of the Sabbath," page 463, says 
concerning other Sabbath-keepers : — 

" When the Reformation had lifted the vail of darkness that covered 
the nations of Europe, Sabbath-keepers were found in Transylvania, 
Bohemia, Russia, Germany, Holland, France, and England. It was 
not the Reformation which gave existence to these Sabbatarians ; 



TRACES OF THE SABBATH 149 

for the leaders of the Reformation, as a body, .were not friendly to 
such views. On the contrary, these observers of the Sabbath appear 
to be remnants of the ancient Sabbath-keeping churches that had 
witnessed for the truth during the Dark Ages." 

He proceeds to cite various classes of these in the coun- 
tries mentioned, and gives the authorities to prove it, which 
the inquiring reader can investigate in that valuable work. 

Summary. 

In summing up the facts presented concerning these 
Sabbath-keeping bodies which continued through the Dark 
Ages, we reach the following conclusions : — 

i. The Waldenses (at least a large portion of them) who 
sought retired places in the valleys of the mountains, to 
be able to worship God according to the ancient practice 
of the church and according to the Bible, kept the ancient 
Sabbath till persecuted by the Catholic Church and almost 
exterminated. 

2. The Abyssinian Church, shut away from the papal 
church for a thousand years, when discovered were found 
observing the seventh day of the week as the early Chris- 
tians did ; but as soon as the Catholics got power to do so, 
they at once abased the Sabbath, and would not allow it 
to be observed while they remained in the kingdom. 

3. The Armenian Christians, also shut away from the 
Roman Church for the same length of time, when visited 
by Europeans, were found keeping the seventh day, or 
Saturday, according to the ancient practice of believers 
during the first centuries. But true to their hatred of the 
Sabbath, as soon as the Romish priests could do so, they 
had the cruel Inquisition brought in to abolish by torture 
the practice of keeping the ancient memorial of creation. 
So also was it in many other countries. It is the same old 
story in every instance. 

We have now followed for fifteen centuries the work of 
the Roman Catholic Church in its continued, persevering 



150 THE CHAXGE Of THE SABBATH 

effort to overthrow the Sabbath which God commanded, 
and to elevate the Sunday, the weekly memorial of sun- 
worship, the first form of idolatry, into its place, transform- 
ing it into a Christian institution ; and we see but one 
purpose throughout. This work always centered at Rome, 
from the time the first step was taken turning the Sabbath 
into a fast to disgrace it, while making Sunday a joyful 
festival, till we reach the famous roll " which came down 
from heaven," threatening destruction upon those who 
should " fail to keep the Lord's day ; " yes, continuing even 
till the present day, since Protestants have joined in the 
same work of elevating Sunday. We cannot question the 
fact that the papal church changed the Sabbath. But lest 
any should think we have unfairly judged that church in 
thus speaking, we propose to give the testimony of many 
Catholic writers themselves on this subject. 



^^^ 



WHAT CATHOLIC AUTHORITIES ^AY 
ABOUT THE CHANGE EFFECTED BY 
THEIR CHURCH 




CHAPTER XVIII. 




N considering questions of importance, like the 
subject under discussion, it is certainly reason- 
able that the parties accused should have the 
privilege of testifying for themselves. We 
have said very plainly that the papists, during 
the long continuance of the great apostasy, which resulted 
in the development of their church, changed the Sabbath 
from the day which the Holy Scriptures required to another 
day, without the slightest Bible authority for so doing. Do 
they admit this charge to be true, or do they deny it ? This 
is a question of real importance, one which we wish fairly 
and candidly to examine. We will quote Catholic authori- 
ties alone on this point. 

The Roman Decretalia. 

The pope is the head of the Catholic Church ; the head di- 
rects the body. The " Roman Decretalia " is an authori- 
tative work in the Roman ecclesiastical law. Each pope, 
when invested with the " succession," declares the papal 
decretals to be true. The " Decretalia " ascribes power to 
the pope to change God's law or any other law. Thus : — 

"He can pronounce sentences and judgments in contradiction 
to the right of nations, and to the law of God and man .... He 

(151) 



152 THE CHANG Li OF THE SABBATH 

can free himself from the commands of the apostles, he being their 
superior, and from the rules of the Old Testament," etc. 

" The pope has power to change times, to abrogate laws, and to 
dispense with all things, even the precepts of -Christ." — Decretal de 
Translat. Episcop. Cap. 

" The pope's will stands for reason. He can dispense above the 
law, and of wrong make right by correcting and changing laws." — 
Pope Nicholas, Dis. 96. 

"The pope is free from all laws so that he cannot incur any sen- 
tence of irregularity, suspension, excommunication, or penalty for 
any crime." — Dis. 40. 

Surely the pope is a wonderful personage. He can be 
no other than the embodiment of that power which was 
to " think to change times and the law." Dan. 7 : 25. Here 
we see claims of plentitude of power sufficient to make any 
changes whatever which he might desire to make. What 
do papists say about changing the Sabbath? 

Catechism, 



In the " Catholic Catechism of Christian Religion " we 
have the following questions and answers : — 

"Ques. — What does God ordain by this commandment? 

"Ans. — He ordains that we sanctify, in a special manner, this day 
on which he rested from the labor of creation. 

"Q_What is this day of rest? 

"A. — The seventh day of the week, or Saturday; for he employed 
six days in creation, and rested on the seventh. Gen. 2:2; Heb. 
4 : 1, etc. 

"Q. — Is it, then, Saturday we should sanctify in order to obey the 
ordinance of God? 

"A. — During the old law, Saturday was the day sanctified; but 
the church, instructed by Jesus Christ, and directed by the Spirit 
of God, has substituted Sunday for Saturday; so now we sanctify 
the first, not the seventh day. Sunday means, and now is, the day 
of the Lord. 

"Q. — Had the church power to make such a change? 

"A. — Certainly; since the Spirit of God is her guide, the change 
is inspired by the Holy Spirit." 



CATHOLIC AUTHORITIES ON THE CHANGE 153 

In another Catholic work, called the "Abridgement of 
Christian Doctrine," page 58, the Catholic Church asserts 
its power to change the law, in the following manner: — 

"Qucs. — How prove you that the church hath power to command 
feasts and holy days? 

"Ans. — By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, 
which Protestants allow of; and therefore they fondly contradict 
themselves, by keeping Sunday strictly, and breaking most other 
feasts commanded by the same church. 

"Q. — How prove you that? 

"A. — Because by keeping Sunday they acknowledge the church's 
power to ordain feasts, and to command them under sin ; and by 
not keeping the rest by her commanded, they again deny, in fact, 
the same power." 

In the " Catholic Christian Instructed," p. 202, is pre- 
sented the following list of feast-days, which all rest upon 
the same foundation, namely, the authority of the Catholic 
Church. Of these, Sunday takes the lead. 

"Ques. — What are the days which the church commands to be 
kept holy? 

"Ans. — 1. The Sunday, or our Lord's day, which we observe by 
apostolic tradition, instead of the Sabbath. 2. The feasts of our 
Lord's nativity, or Christmas day; his circumcision, or New Year's 
day; the Epiphany, or twelfth day; Easter day, or the day of our 
Lord's resurrection ; the day of our Lord's ascension ; Whitsunday, 
or the day of the coming of the Holy Ghost; Trinity Sunday; 
Corpus Christi, or the feast of the Blessed Sacrament. 3. We keep 
the days of the Annunciation, and Assumption of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary. 4. We observe the feast of All-Saints ; of St. John 
Baptist ; of the holy apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul. 5. In this 
kingdom [Britain-Ireland] we keep the feast of St. Patrick, our 
principal patron." 

From pages 202, 203 of the work last quoted, we take the 
following additional testimony, which also has a very im- 
portant bearing on the question of the Sabbath, as the 
points referred to are vital ones in this issue : — 

"Ques. — What warrant have you for keeping the Sunday prefer- 
ably to the ancient Sabbath, which w T as the Saturday? 



161 THB CHANGE OF THB SABBATH 

"Ans. — We have for it the authority of the Catholic Church, and 
apostolical tradition. 

"Q. — Does the Scripture anywhere command the Sunday to be 
kept for the Sabbath? 

"A. — The Scripture commands us to hear the church (St. Matt. 
18:17; St. Luke 10:16), and to hold fast the traditions of the 
apostles. 2 Thess. 2 : 15. But the Scripture does not in particular 
mention this change of the Sabbath. St. John speaks of the Lord's 
day (Rev. 1 : 10) ; but he does not tell us what day of the week 
this was, much less does he tell us that this day was to take [the] 
place of the Sabbath ordained in the commandments. St. Luke also 
speaks of the disciples' meeting together to break bread on the first 
day of the week. Acts 20:7. And St. Paul (1 Cor. 16:2) orders 
that on the first day of the week the Corinthians should lay by in 
store what they designed to bestow in charity on the faithful in 
Judea ; but neither the one nor the other tells us that this first day 
of the week was to be henceforward the day of worship, and the 
Christian Sabbath ; so that truly, the best authority we have for this 
is the testimony and ordinance of the church. And therefore, those 
who pretend to be so religious of the Sunday, whilst they take no 
notice of other festivals ordained by the same church authority, 
show that they act by humor, and not by reason and religion ; 
since Sundays and holydays all stand upon the same foundation ; 
viz., the ordinance of the church." 

The " Doctrinal Catechism," pp. 174, 352, offers proof 
that Protestants are not guided by the Scriptures. We 
present two of the questions and answers : — 

"Ques. — Have you any other way of proving that the church has 
power to institute festivals of precept? 

"Ans. — Had she not such power, she could not have done that 
in which all modern religionists agree with her, — she could not have 
substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for 
the observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a change for which 
there is no Scriptural authority." 

"Q- — When Protestants do profane work upon Saturday, or 
the seventh day of the week, do they follow the Scripture as their 
only rule of faith, — do they find this permission clearly laid down 
in the Sacred Volume? 

"A. — On the contrary, they have only the authority of tradition 
for this practice. In profaning Saturday, they violate one of God's 
commandments, which he has never clearly abrogated, — ' Remember 
that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.' " 



CATHOLIC AUTHORITIES ON THE CHANGE 155 

Then follows a statement and refutation of the arguments 
which Protestants usually rely on to prove the change of the 
Sabbath, such as the resurrection of Christ, the pouring out 
of the Spirit, the Lord's day of Rev. 1 : 10 ; Acts 20 : 7 ; and 
I Cor. 16:2, showing that these Scriptures contain no evi- 
dence of the institution of Sunday observance, but that the 
practice rests solely upon the authority of the Catholic 
Church. 

In a Roman Catholic work entitled " The Shortest Way 
to End Disputes about Religion," by the Rev. Dr. Manning, 
approved by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Fitzpatrick, Coadjutor 
of the Diocese of Boston, Mass., page 19, we find the 
following : — 

"As zealous as Protestants are against the church's infallibility, 
they are forced to depend wholly upon her authority in many 
articles that cannot be evidently proved from any text of Scripture, 
yet are of very great importance. 

" 1. The lawfulness for Christians to work upon Saturday, con- 
trary, in appearance, to the express command of God, who bids us 
' keep the Sabbath holy/ and tells us the seventh day of the week is 
that day. 

"2. The lawfulness and validity of infant baptism, whereof there 
is no example in Scripture." 

Clifton Tracts. 

In accordance with the instruction given in the cate- 
chisms from which the foregoing quotations were made, 
a work entitled " The Clifton Tracts" (Catholic), Vol. 
IV, chap. 4, under the title, "A Question for all Bible Chris- 
tians," makes a precise statement of the positions held re- 
spectively by Catholics and Protestants on this question, 
in the following forcible language : — 

" I am going to propose a very plain and serious question, to 
which I would entreat all who profess to follow ' the Bible, and 
the Bible only,' to give their most earnest attention. It is this : 
Why do you not keep holy the Sabbath day? 

"The command of Almighty God stands clearly written in the 
Bible in these words : ' Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 



156 THE CHANGE OV THE SABBATH 

Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work ; but the seventh day 
is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any 
work.' Ex. 20 : 8, 9. Such being God's command, then, I ask again, 
Why do you not obey it? Why do you not keep holy the Sabbath 
day? 

" You will answer me, perhaps, that you do keep holy the Sab- 
bath day; for that you abstain from all worldly business, and dili- 
gently go to church, and say your prayers, and read your Bible 
at home, every Sunday of your lives. 

" But Sunday is not the Sabbath day; Sunday is the first day of 
the week; the Sabbath day was the seventh day of the week. 
Almighty God did not give a commandment that men should keep 
holy one day in seven; but he named his own day, and said distinctly, 
Thou shalt keep holy the seventh day; and he assigned a reason for 
choosing this day rather than any other, — a reason which belongs 
only to the seventh day of the week, and cannot be applied to the 
rest. He says, ' For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, 
the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; where- 
fore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.' 

"Almighty God ordered that all men should rest from their labor 
on the seventh day, because he too had rested on that day; he did 
not rest on Sunday, but on Saturday. On Sunday, which is the 
first day of the week, he began the work of creation, he did not 
finish it ; it was on Saturday that he 'ended his work which he had 
made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which 
he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it ; 
because that in it he had rested from all his work which God 
created and made.' Gen. 2:2, 3. Nothing can be more plain and 
easy to be understood than all this, and there is nobody who 
attempts to deny it; it is acknowledged by everybody that the day 
which Almighty God appointed to be kept holy was Saturday, not 
Sunday. Why do you, then, keep holy the Sunday, and not the 
Saturday? 

" You tell me that Saturday was the Jewish Sabbath, but that the 
Christian Sabbath has been changed to Sunday. Changed ! but by 
whom? Who has authority to change an express command of 
Almighty God? When God has spoken, and said, Thou shalt keep 
holy the seventh day, who shall dare to say, Nay, thou mayest 
work, and do all manner of worldly business on the seventh day ; 
but thou shalt keep holy the first day in its stead? This is the 
most important question, which I know not how you can answer. 

" You are a Protestant, and you profess to go by the Bible, and 
the Bible only; and yet in so important a matter as the observance 



CATHOLIC AUTHORITIES ON THE CHANGE 157 

of one day in seven as a holy day, you go against the plain letter 
of the Bible, and put another day in the place of that day which the 
Bible has commanded. The command to keep holy the seventh day 
is one of the ten commandments; you believe that the other nine 
are still binding; who gave you authority to tamper with the fourth? 
If you are consistent with your own principles, if you really follow 
the Bible, and the Bible only, you ought to be able to produce some 
portion of the New Testament in which this fourth commandment 
is expressly altered, or, at least, from which you may confidently 
infer that it was the will of God that Christians should make that 
change in its observance which you have made. . . . 

" The present generation of Protestants keep Sunday holy instead 
of Saturday, because they received it as a part of the Christian 
religion from the last generation, and that generation received it 
from the generation before, and so on backward from one genera- 
tion to another, by a continual succession, until we come to the 
time of the (so called) Reformation, when it so happened that those 
who conducted the change of religion in this country, left this par- 
ticular portion of Catholic faith and practice untouched. 

" But, had it happened otherwise, — had some one or other of the 
' reformers ' taken it into his head to denounce the observance of 
Sunday as a popish corruption and superstition, and to insist upon it 
that Saturday was the day which God had appointed to be kept holy, 
and that he had never authorized the observance of any other, — 
all Protestants would have been obliged, in obedience to their 
professed principle of following the Bible, and the Bible only, either 
to acknowledge this teaching as true, and to return to the observance 
of the ancient Sabbath, or else to deny that there is any Sabbath 
at all. And so, in like manner, any one at the present day who 
should set about, honestly and without prejudice, to draw up for 
himself a form of religious belief and practice out of the written 
word of God, must needs come to the same conclusion; he must 
either believe that the Sabbath is still binding upon men's con- 
sciences, because of the divine command, Thou shalt keep holy the 
seventh day; or he must believe that no Sabbath at all is binding 
upon them, because of the apostolic injunction, Let no man judge 
you in respect of a festival day, or of the sabbaths, which are a 
shadow of things to come, but the body is Christ's. Either one or 
the other of these conclusions he might honestly come to; but he 
would know nothing whatever of a Christian Sabbath, distinct from 
the ancient, celebrated on a different day and observed in a dif- 
ferent manner, simply because Holy Scripture itself nowhere speaks 
of such a thing. 1 



158 THE CHANCE OF THE SABBATH 

" Now mind, in all this you would greatly misunderstand me if 
you supposed I was quarreling with you for acting in this manner 
on a true and right principle, — in other words, a Catholic principle, 
viz., the acceptance, without hesitation, of that which has been 
handed down to you by an unbroken tradition. I would not tear 
from you a single one of those shreds and fragments of divine truth 
which you have retained. God forbid ! They are the most precious 
things you possess, and by God's blessing may serve as clues to 
bring you out of that labyrinth of error in which you find yourselves 
involved, far more by the fault of your forefathers, three centuries 
ago, than by your own. What I do quarrel with you for is, not 
your inconsistency in occasionally acting on a true principle, but 
your adoption, as a general rule, of a false one. You keep the Sun- 
day, and not the Saturday ; and you do so rightly ; for this was the 
practice of all Christians when Protestantism began ; but you have 
abandoned other Catholic observances, which were equally universal 
at that day, preferring the novelties introduced by the men who 
invented Protestantism to the unvarying tradition of above fifteen 
hundred years. 

" We blame you, not for making Sunday your weekly holiday, 
instead of Saturday, but for rejecting tradition, which is the only 
safe and clear rule by which this observance can be justified. In 
outward act, we do the same as yourselves in this matter ; we, too, 
no longer observe the ancient Sabbath, but Sunday, in its stead ; 
but then there is this important difference between us, that we do 
not pretend, as you do, to derive our authority for so doing from 
a book; but we derive it from a living teacher, and that teacher 
is the church. Moreover, we believe that not everything God 
would have us to know and to do is written in the Bible, but that 
there is an unwritten word of God, which we are bound to believe 
and obey, just as we believe and obey the Bible itself, according to 
that saying of the apostle, ' Stand fast, and hold the traditions 
which you have learned, whether by word, or by our epistle.' 2 
Thess. 2: 14 [Douay Bible]. 

" We Catholics, then, have precisely the same authority for keep- 
ing Sunday holy, instead of Saturday, as we have for every other 
article of our creed, namely, the authority of ' the church of the 
living God, the pillar and ground of the truth' (1 Tim. 3:15); 
whereas, you who are Protestants have really no authority for it 
whatever ; for there is no authority for it in the Bible, and you 
will not allow that there can be authority for it anywhere else. Both 
you and we do, in fact, follow tradition in this matter; but we 
follow it, believing it to be a part of God's word, and the church to 



CATHOLIC AUTHORITIES ON THE CHANGE 159 

be its divinely appointed guardian and interpreter; you follow it, 
denouncing it all the time as a fallible and treacherous guide, which 
often ' makes the commandment of God of none effect.' " 

In another Catholic work, called a " Treatise of Thirty 
Controversies," we find the following cutting reproof: — 

" The word of God commandeth the seventh day to be the 
Sabbath of our Lord, and to be kept holy; you [Protestants], with- 
out any precept of Scripture, change it to the first day of the week, 
only authorized by our traditions. Divers English Puritans oppose 
against this point, that the observation of the first day is proved 
out of Scripture, where it is said, the first day of the week. Acts 
20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1: 10. Have they not spun a fair thread 
in quoting these places? If we should produce no better for pur- 
gatory, prayers for the dead, invocation of the saints, and the like, 
they might have good cause indeed to laugh us to scorn; for where 
is it written these were Sabbath days in which those meetings were 
kept? Or where is it ordained that they should be always observed? 
Or, which is the sum of all, where is it decreed that the observance 
of the first day should abrogate or abolish the sanctifying of the 
seventh day, which God commanded everlastingly to be kept holy? 
Not one of those is expressed in the written word of God." 

A Challenge. 

And finally, W. Lockhart, B. A., of Oxford, in the To- 
ronto (Catholic) Mirror, offered the following " challenge " 
to all the Protestants of Ireland, a challenge as well calcu- 
lated for this latitude as that. He says : — 

" I do, therefore, solemnly challenge the Protestants of Ireland to 
prove, by plain texts of Scripture, the questions concerning the 
obligation of the Christian Sabbath, 1. That Christians may work 
on Saturday, the old seventh day; 2. That they are 'bound to 
keep holy the first day, namely, Sunday; 3. That they are not 
bound to keep holy the seventh day also." 

Statements by Catholic Authors. 

In pursuing this subject further, we quote the language 
of John Gilmary Shea, IX. D., a representative man among 
Catholics, and an accomplished writer: — 



160 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

" The Sunday, as a day of the week set apart for the obligatory 
public worship of Almighty God, to be sanctified by suspension of 
all servile labor, trade, and worldly avocations, and by exercises 
of devotion, is purely a creation of the Catholic Church." " Nothing 
in the New Testament forbids work, travel, trade, amusement, 
on the first day of the week. There is nothing which implies 
such a prohibition. The day, as one especially set apart, had 
no authority but that of the Catholic Church ; the laws requir- 
ing its observance were passed to enforce decrees of councils 
of the Catholic Church." " For ages all Christian nations looked 
to the. Catholic Church, and, as we have seen, the various states 
enforce by law her ordinances as to worship and cessation of 
labor on Sunday. Protestantism, in discarding the authority of 
the church, had no good reason for its Sunday theory, and ought, 
logically, to keep Saturday as the Sabbath, with the Jews and 
Seventh Day Baptists. For their present practice, Protestants 
in general have no authority but that of a church which they 
disown." — The American Catholic Quarterly Review, Jan., 1883. 

James Blake, M. D., another Roman Catholic, in a de- 
bate with a Protestant, thus drove the latter to the wall : — 

" Christ never wrote, but God the Father did. He wrote the 
ten commandments on the tables of stone, and the only command- 
ment he emphasized was that to keep the seventh day. 'Remember 
to keep holy the seventh day;' and there is no command so often 
repeated throughout the Old Testament. If the Bible alone be the 
gentleman's rule of faith, he is bound by this commandment ; but 
does he observe it? — No, he does not. Why, then, does he not 
observe it? — Because the church thought fit to change it. Here the 
gentleman admits the authority of the church to be superior to 
the handwriting of God the Father; and yet he will look you in the 
face, and declare that the Bible, without church authority, is his 
rule of faith." — Review and Herald, Feb. 27, 1884. 

The following statements were made by a Catholic priest 

in the opera-house in Hartford, Kansas, Feb. 18, 1884, as 

reported in the Hartford Weekly Call of February 22 : — 

" Christ gave to the church the power to make laws binding upon 
the conscience. Show me one sect that claims or possesses the 
power to do so save the Catholic Church. There is none, and yet 
all Christendom acknowledges the power of the church to do so, as 
I will prove to you. For example, the observance of Sunday. How 
can other denominations keep this day? The Bible commands you 



CATHOLIC AUTHORITIES ON THE CHANGE 161 

to keep the Sabbath day. Sunday is not the Sabbath day; no man 
dare assert that it is ; for the Bible says as plainly as words can 
make it, that the seventh day is the Sabbath, *. e. Saturday; for we 
know Sunday to be the first day of the week. Besides, the Jews 
have been keeping the Sabbath day unto the present time. I am not 
a rich man, but I will give $1,000 to any man who will prove by 
the Bible alone that Sunday is the day we are bound to keep. No, 
it cannot be done ; it is impossible. The observance of Sunday is 
solely a law of the Catholic Church, and therefore is not binding 
upon others. The church changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and all 
the world bows down and worships upon that day in silent obedience 
to the mandates of the Catholic Church. Is thif not a living miracle 
— that those who hate us so bitterly, obey and acknowledge our 
power every week, and do not know it ? " 

The number of extracts from Catholic authorities might 
be much enlarged, but these ought to be sufficient to show 
any candid person the position taken hy that church upon 
this point. It will be noticed that many of these come from 
catechisms and other doctrinal works which are officially 
issued by the Catholic Church itself. There can be no 
higher evidence of the position of a denomination than its 
doctrinal books put forth to teach its own people. Thus 
the papal church acknowledges point-blank that it has dared 
to change the law of God by " substituting Sunday for 
Saturday." It puts forth this claim to all the Protestant 
world as the highest evidence of its authority. 



11 



ADMISSIONS OF SOME PROTESTANTS 
CONCERNING THE CHANGE 
OF THE SABBATH 




CHAPTER XIX. 




(E quote a few declarations relative to the 
change of the Sabbath, from those who are 
not Catholics, — men who are in no wise in- 
terested to say anything which would favor 
the seventh day, but whom love of truth 
impels to speak as they do. 

N. Summerbell, a noted minister and author in the 
Christian Church, and once president of Antioch (Ohio) 
College, says in his " History of the Christians," p. 418 : — 

" It [the Roman Catholic Church] has reversed the fourth com- 
mandment, doing away with the Sabbath of God's word, and insti- 
tuting Sunday as a holy day." 

Alexander Campbell, in a lecture in Bethany College, 

1848, said w*r- 

" Was the first day set apart by public authority in the apostolic 
age? — No. By whom was it set apart, and when? — By Constantine, 
who lived about the beginning of the fourth century." 

The Chicago Inter Ocean, answering the questions, " Who 

changed the Sabbath day, and when?" and, "Is Sunday 

the first day of the week ? " says : — 

" The change of the day of worship from the Sabbath, or last day 
of the week, to Sunday, the first day of the week, was done by the 
early Christians ; but the work was so gradual that it is almost 
impossible to determine when the one left off and the other began. 

(162) 



PROTESTANT AUTHORITIES ON THE CHANGE 103 

It was not until after the Reformation that the change was confirmed 
by any legal enactment. In the first ages after Christ it does not 
appear that the Christians abstained from their regular business 
upon that day, but they were accustomed to meet early in the day, 
and indulge in singing and some other religious services. It was 
not until the beginning of the third century that it became custom- 
ary for Christians to abstain from their worldly business and occu- 
pation on that day." 

The Christian Union of June II, 1879, answers the fol- 
lowing questions concerning the change of the Sabbath : — 

" When, why, and by whom was the day of rest changed from the 
seventh to the first ? Has the Christian Sabbath been observed 
since the time of the apostles? — Reader. 

"Ans. — The Sabbath was changed from the seventh to the first 
day of the week, not by any positive authority, but by a gradual 
process. Christ was in the tomb during the seventh day. He rose 
upon the first. The Christians naturally observed the first day as a 
festal day in the early church, and as gradually the Gentile Chris- 
tians came to be the vast majority of the church, they cared little 
or nothing about Jewish observances of any kind, and abandoned 
the Jewish Sabbath along with temple services and the like, and 
thus, by a natural process, the first day of the week came to take 
its place." 

We make these quotations, not for any proof that the 
seventh day is the Sabbath, but that the reader may see the 
positions which intelligent persons are taking upon this 
subject. The high, puritanical claims concerning the change 
of the Sabbath by Christ and his apostles, basing it upon 
the fourth commandment, and seeking to sustain it by the 
authority of the Bible, are being abandoned by many well- 
informed persons. They see it cannot be maintained, for 
to do so they are compelled to place it upon the Catholic 
ground of " custom and tradition," and the " authority of 
the church." It will be noticed that the extracts already 
given in this pamphlet virtually place it there. It was a 
" gradual process ; " it first began as a " festal day ; " it 
grew up by a " natural process ; " the " Gentile Christians " 
" abandoned the Jewish Sabbath " when they " came to 



164 THB CHANG U OF THE SABBATH 

be the vast majority of the church; " and so Sunday at last 
came to be observed as the Sabbath day by the Catholic 
Church, from whence the whole Protestant world has 
received it. 

Well, this expresses as nearly the truth in the matter 
as we could reasonably expect from the eminent Protestant 
journal from which these expressions are quoted. It well 
knows that Sunday has no divine authority for its sanctity ; 
if it had, it would certainly give it. Our readers who have 
traced this argument through, have found therein plenty 
of evidence that this " natural process " of the Christian 
Union w r as never secured "until emperors, popes, and councils 
had used their utmost authority to force the Sunday Sab- 
bath upon the people ; that men were placed under a curse, 
and sometimes whipped, fined, and imprisoned, yes, and the 
inquisition with its tortures was resorted to, and some were 
burned at the stake, before the " natural process " was fully 
consummated, and the Sunday of " pope and pagan " fully 
recognized as a sacred institution. 

A Retrospect. 

We have now traced the process of changing the Sabbath 
from the seventh to the first day of the week, from the 
apostolic age, when it was ever regarded as merely a secular 
day ; through the second century, when it began to be re- 
garded, with Good Friday and other days, as a " voluntary 
festival " on which religious meetings were held, and to 
which some little honor was paid by Christians, seeing that 
it was generally regarded among their heathen neighbors 
as a weekly festival day in honor of the sun. 

In the third century " custom and tradition," and the ef- 
forts of the bishop of Rome and his sympathizers, exalted 
Sunday still higher, and lowered the Sabbath in public 
estimation, by turning the latter into a fast and the former 
into a joyous festival They had also by this time begun 



PROTESTANT AUTHORITIES ON THE CHANGE 165 

calling it by the honorable title of " Lord's day," for which 
there is no warrant in Scripture. 

The process went on still more rapidly during the fourth 
century, inasmuch as heathenism and Christianity at this 
time espoused each other in unholy wedlock. Then Con- 
stantine, a heathen emperor, issued a heathen decree making 
the " venerable day of the sun " a rest day by imperial 
power, which Sylvester, bishop of Rome, cunningly sanc- 
tioned and enforced as a Christian institution, by the power 
of the Catholic Church ; and after a season the Catholic 
Council of Laodicea placed the observance of the true Sab- 
bath under a curse. 

With the perseverance of a sleuth-hound following his 
game, the Roman Church still pursued its work of sup- 
pressing the Sabbath during the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, 
and following centuries, and elevating the Sunday in its 
place, by decrees of councils, curses of popes, crusades of 
extermination, tortures of the inquisition, lying miracles, 
and rolls said to come from heaven, but really originating 
in the pope's palace. Wherever the papacy had the pow r er, 
Sunday was established, and the Sabbath of the Lord 
condemned. 

When the Reformation arose, its leaders, though men 
whom God honored by making them a blessing to the world, 
had through early training so lost the Sabbath from view, 
and had such a great work of reform on other points to 
carry through under the greatest difficulties, that many of 
them did not embrace the Sabbath in their work of reform, 
though they attributed very little sacredness to Sunday, 
plainly stating that it stood on a level with such festivals 
as Easter, Christmas, Good Friday, and other church holi- 
days. 

Later, the Presbyterians took the positions held by our 
Protestant churches generally at the present time, — of try- 
ing to place the Sunday under the protecting aegis of the 
fourth commandment, and of Christ and the apostles, — 



166 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

positions never taught during the previous sixteen hundred 
years. This late invention to cover a hoary fraud is now 
very popular with many. 

We have seen that various bodies of Christians in dif- 
ferent parts of the world not under the domineering in- 
fluence of the papal see, still continued to keep the ancient 
Sabbath long after the Catholic Church had changed it ; 
but that church never neglected, in a single instance, to 
abolish its observance by persecution wherever it had the 
power to do so. 

We have examined many Catholic authors relative to 
this change, and they always agree that it was their church 
which changed the Sabbath. They present this fact as 
one of the greatest claims of this church to popular regard, 
and as the highest evidence of its ecclesiastical authority 
over all Protestant bodies. And intelligent Protestant au- 
thorities, with every reason for a bias in favor of Sunday, 
admit that its introduction was a gradual process, first as 
a festal day, then gradually coming into favor as a rest 
day, but with no higher authority than the Catholic Church. 

With a brief notice of several texts of Scripture speaking 
prophetically of this very change, and some general observa- 
tions, we will close this treatise. 



GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND 
CONCLUSIONS 




CHAPTER XX. 




N the seventh chapter of Daniel we have one of 
the most remarkable prophecies of the Bible. 
It presents a chain of prophecy covering the 
principal kingdoms of the world lor nearly 
3,000 years. Babylon, Media, and Persia, 
Grecia, Rome, and the ten. kingdoms into which the latter 
was divided, were presented to the prophet under the sym- 
bols of four great monsters coming up out of the sea, — a 
lion with eagle's wings, a bear with three ribs in its mouth, 
a leopard with four heads, and a terrible nondescript beast 
with ten horns, great iron teeth, and a ferocity unprece- 
dented. This last was presented under two phases, corre- 
sponding to the two diverse appearances in which Rome 
presented itself to the world, — Rome ruled by the Caesars 
as a heathen power, and Rome ruled by the popes as a pro- 
fessedly Christian power. The latter form was to continue 
until the fires of the judgment day should utterly destroy it. 
We have not space to enter into a lengthy exposition of 
this chapter. Suffice it to say that in our application of 
these symbols mentioned we agree with the best Protestant 
expositors ; and, indeed, we could not give an intelligent 
exposition of the chapter without taking their positions. 

The Four Universal Kingdoms. 

Verse 23 reads: "Thus he [the angel] said, The fourth 
beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth." Daniel 
lived in the time of Babylon. The fourth great kingdom 

(167) 



168 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

from that time could be no other than that of Rome. This 
power is first presented as a beast with ten horns, and sub- 
sequently with three of these " horns plucked up by the 
roots ; " and a " little horn " with " eyes like the eyes of 
man, and a mouth speaking great things." Then the 
solemn scene of the great judgment day is presented, one 
like the "Ancient of days " — God the Father — sitting with 
myriads of heavenly angels in attendance. " The judgment 
was set and the books were opened." Then he beheld the 
body of this beast destroyed in the burning flames of the 
last day. In the explanation of these symbols given by the 
angel of God, he informs the prophet that these four beasts 
are " four kings," or kingdoms, the fourth being Rome. 
The ten horns, he also says, are " ten kings," or kingdoms, 
which are evidently the kingdoms of the Western empire, 
into which Rome was divided between the years 351 and 
483 a. d. These the commentators inform us were the 
Huns, Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Franks, Vandals, Suevi, Bur- 
gundians, Heruli, Anglo-Saxons, and Lombards. 

The Triple Crown. 

" And another shall rise after them, and he shall be di- 
verse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And 
he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall 
wear out the saints of the Most High> and think to change 
times and laws ; and they shall be given into his hand 
until a time, and times, and the dividing of time." Verses 

24, 25. 

There is one ruling power in Europe which wears three 
crowns in one — a triple crown. No traveler who has ever 
visited Rome will need to be told who that is. Every 
statue of a pope in that city (and there are many) wears 
such a crown. How plainly this ruler has distinguished 
himself as the power which plucked up three kingdoms! 
Just before a. d. 538, the kingdoms of the Heruli, Vandals, 
and Ostrogoths, through the influence of the Catholics, 



GHNURAL OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 169 

were uprooted, and in that year Justinian, emperor of 
Eastern Rome, ruling in Constantinople, proclaimed the 
pope head over all the churches. 

From this point the papacy rapidly increased in power and 
arrogance, till the mightiest kings of Europe trembled before 
this political and religious ruler. His power was unique. 
Nothing in history resembles it. Never ruling a large ter- 
ritory as his peculiar kingdom, he still possessed an au- 
thority over the hearts and consciences of men which no 
mortal ever exercised before. He had " eyes like the eyes 
of man, and a mouth speaking great things," and a look 
" more stout than his fellows." Here is strikingly portrayed 
that far-seeing sagacity and discernment, and ability to grasp 
the motives of men, which has held so many millions in 
thralldom never before equaled. The language also indi- 
cates those arrogant pretensions and blasphemous claims 
never surpassed by any other kind of ruler. His look so 
stout was indeed clearly presented by a power of endurance 
through many centuries, which has ne\er been equaled by 
any other. 

Presumptuous Claims. 

" He shall speak great words against the Most High." 
Here are pretensions seen nowhere else. He either calls 
himself, or is called by his votaries, " Lord God the Pope," 
" Christ's Vicar or Vicegerent on earth," "A very God on 
earth," " with power to open and shut heaven at his pleas- 
ure," and " ability to forgive sins," " even to grant indul- 
gences." 

He " shall wear out the saints of the Most High." Be- 
hold the millions of martyrs whose blood has been shed in 
crusades, in massacres,' in horrible dungeons, torn upon 
racks, and burned at the stake. This power has caused 
the death of more people for conscience' sake than all other 
political powers together which have ever existed on this 
earth. Surely this power fulfils the statements of the angel 



170 TUB CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

to the prophet. The best-informed Protestant historians 
have estimated his victims at upwards of fifty million. Kind 
reader, think of it, — nearly as many people as live in these 
United States of America to-day, put to death for religious 
opinion ! 

"He Shall Think to Change" 

He shall " think to change times and laws," or " the times 
and the law," as it is rendered by many other versions. 
The late revised version has it "the lazv." It was not mere 
human laws to which the angel referred, but the law of the 
Most High, the power against which he was warring. He 
shall speak " great words against " God, wear " out the 
saints" of God, and undertake ("think himself able," Dr. 
Clarke) to change the law of God. 

" They shall be given into his hand until a time and times 
and the dividing of time." This can only mean that he 
shall seem to have accomplished his purpose of changing 
the law of God during this period. A time is one year (the 
ancient year of 360 days) ; times (plural), twice as much, 
720 ; a dividing of time, half as much, 180 ; making in all 
1260 prophetic, or symbolic, days, each day representing 
a year. Eze. 4:6; Num. 14 : 34. He received his power 
from Justinian, a. d. 538, and retained it until 1798, a period 
of just 1260 years, when the French Republic captured 
Rome, and carried the pope into France, where he died in 
exile. The papacy then received a terrible blow, from which 
it has not yet fully recovered. 

This language plainly implies, even to a certainty, that 
the law of God would be changed by a blasphemous apostate 
power. Those who have read the foregoing chapters can 
hardly fail to see how wonderfully the Roman Catholic 
power has fulfilled these predictions, by changing the 1 Sab- 
bath of the fourth commandment, and placing the Sunday 
of " pope and pagan " in its stead. 



GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 171 

"That Wicked." 

" Let no man deceive you by any means ; for that day 
[the coming of Christ] shall not come, except there come a 
falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son 
of perdition ; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all 
that is called God, or that is worshiped ; so that he as God 
sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 
. . . For the mystery of iniquity doth already work ; only 
he who now letteth [restraineth now, R. V.] will let, until 
he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked 
[lawless one, R. V.] be revealed, whom the Lord shall con- 
sume with the Spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with 
the brightness of his coming." 2 Thess. 2:3-8. 

Here the same blasphemous power is presented which 
is referred to in the scriptures already considered. He 
comes to the same end at the great burning day, when Christ 
comes. There (Dan. 7:25) he speaks great words against 
the Most High, and attempts to change his law ; here he 
opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, 
and sits in the temple, i. e. the church, of God, claiming 
God-like power. He is the " lawless one," i. e., one who 
places himself above all law, — is amenable to no law. He 
can do as he pleases. 

We know of no other power on earth that claims such 
prerogatives as the papacy. As we have already seen, the 
Catholic catechisms and doctrinal books, and eminent au- 
thors of that faith, boldly put forth the claim that their 
church has changed the Sabbath. Indeed, they cite this act 
as the one above all others which demonstrates their author- 
ity, their right to be considered the one infallible church 
which can command the consciences of men. The fact that 
the whole religious world follows the practice of the church, 
with really no other authority for so doing than that of the 
church, is boldly presented as proof of its power to change 
the law of God. 



172 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

Thus we see fulfilled the plain predictions of the Scrip- 
tures, that such a power should arise, and should think it- 
self able to change the law of God. And after centuries of 
effort put forth to accomplish this very object, the power 
in question stands forth before the world, and boldly claims 
to have done it. He " exalts himself " in this very way 
above God himself. Indeed, it seems he could exalt himself 
above God in no other way. He could not ascend into the 
heavens, and seize the throne of the Highest. He could 
not grasp the dominion of the universe, command the forces 
of nature, or keep the vast machinery of creation in orderly 
motion. But by really succeeding in making millions of 
professed Christians, believers in the inspiration of the Bible, 
accept the memorial of sun-worship in place of the Sabbath 
of the Lord God, thus seeming to change the law of the 
Most High, he has indeed " exalted himself " above God, 
as the apostle declared he would, 

God's Vindication. 

There is one question more which we can but briefly no- 
tice : Will God permit this power, which was to " think to 
change " the law of God, to carry through this deception to 
the very last? or will he bring to light this great iniquity 
before time closes, so that the truly honest in heart shall 
understand this work of apostasy before Christ comes? 
But one answer can reasonably be given to ,this question : 
It would be inconsistent and most unreasonable to suppose 
that God would permit such indignities to be placed upon 
his law, and never bring to light this work of the man 
of sin. 

There are certain scriptures which plainly indicate that 
the last and closing work of reformation at the very close 
of the Christian dispensation, will have reference to this 
apostasy, and the restoration of the law, as God gave it, 
to its proper position in the affections and service of the true 
people of God. 



GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 178 

The scripture we have already quoted (Dan. 7:25) 
strongly intimates this. Speaking of the power which 
should think to change the law and should oppress God's 
people, it states that they should " be given into his hand 
until a time and times and the dividing of time." This pe- 
riod, embracing 1260 years, commencing in a. d. 538 and 
closing in 1798, brings us to the " time of the end." The 
word " until " marks the limit or close of the period during 
which this power should have supremacy, and the time that 
the law and people should be given into his hands. 

Leading Protestant commentators agree that the power 
predicted here is the papacy, and the Catholic authorities 
themselves claim that their ' church did make a change in 
the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week. 
So we conclude that when the 1260 years allotted to that 
power in which to hold under his control God's law and 
people, closed, a change would certainly come. Such 
a change did come, so far as the power to persecute is con- 
cerned. All know the Catholic Church has no longer power 
to persecute as before. Shall we not, then, for the same 
reason, look for a great movement to restore God's law to 
its former position? So we must conclude from this lan- 
guage 

The "Woman" of Revelation 12. 

In Revelation 12 we find a most striking prophecy of 
the church of Christ, under the symbol of a woman clothed 
with the light of the sun, and having on her head a crown 
of twelve stars, who brought forth a man-child " who was to 
rule all nations with a rod of iron," etc. The woman fled 
into the wilderness from the face of a great red dragon 
with seven heads and ten horns, where she was preserved 
for a period of 1260 prophetic days (or years) from the 
face of the serpent. The woman symbolizes the true church, 
which commentators generally admit. The man-child is 
our Saviour, who was " caught up unto God, and to his 



174 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

throne." The great red drag-on symbolizes the Roman 
power, which stood before the woman " to devour her child 
as soon as it was born," in the person of Herod, a Roman 
governor, who tried to put Jesus to death when he killed 
all the male children in Bethlehem that were two years old 
or under. 

The reader will notice with peculiar interest the fact that 
the woman, or true church, was hidden away in the wil- 
derness from this persecuting power precisely the same 
length of time that the " little horn " of Daniel 7 was to 
persecute the church of God and seem to change his law. 
That period began a. d. 538, when the last of the three king- 
doms was plucked up by the papacy. About the same time 
the adherents of the true church, as we have seen, no longer 
remained in union with the Roman Catholic Church ; and 
they were ever after known as heretics. They hid away in 
retired places, while the apostate power " exalted himself 
above all that is called God or that is worshiped," in the 
very " temple," or church, of God himself. Thus Inspira- 
tion represents this wonderful period of human history. 

The "Remnant." 

" The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to 
make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the com- 
mandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." 
Verse 17. The remnant of the woman's seed can only be 
the very last portion of the true church ; for we all know the 
remnant is what remains at the very last, as a small portion 
of a web of cloth after the main part is gone, or a few sur- 
vivors of an army after the greater portion are dead. We 
are distinctly informed, then, by the words of Inspiration, 
that the very last portion of the church are to have a peculiar 
experience, and are to be marked by certain striking charac- 
teristics, which will distinguish them from all others. The 
dragon, " that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan," will 
be " wroth " with them. This can only imply that a vindica- 



GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 175 

tive spirit of hatred and persecution will be kindled against 
them. This must come because of certain great truths and 
reforms, which Satan hates, that will be accepted and pro- 
mulgated by the " remnant " church. As he has always 
done in the past, he will oppress and harass the defenders 
of these truths in the last great conflict. 

What it Means to Keep the Law. 

What distinguishes this "remnant" church? — They 
" keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony 
of Jesus Christ." They are not Jews, but Christians. What 
is it to " keep the commandments of God " ? Is it to keep 
merely a part of them ? — " Whosoever shall keep the whole 
law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he 
that said [that law which said, margin], Do not commit 
adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no 
adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor 
of the law." James 2 : 10, 11. 

The law of God, embracing the ten commandments, con- 
tains all the principles of moral duty. To keep that law, we 
must obey every part of it. In suspending our weight 
upon a chain, we shall as surely fall if one link breaks as 
if all broke. It is not enough that we keep part of the pre- 
cepts of God's law ; we must obey all. The same God that 
spoke part, spoke all. All stand upon the same authority. 

The same reasoning which James applies to the two com- 
mandments, " Thou shalt not commit adultery " and " Thou 
shalt not kill," applies to the fourth command as well : " Re- 
member the Sabbath day to keep it holy. . . . The seventh 
day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God : in it thou shalt not 
do any work." Keeping Sunday never fulfilled that com- 
mandment ; for as plain as the sun shining at noonday is 
the fact that Sunday is not the day which God, in this the 
only Sabbath law, commands men to observe. 

Millions have transgressed the fourth commandment, hon- 
estly believing they were keeping it. That God mercifully 



176 THE CHANGB OF THE SABBATH 

accepted them while they were living up to all the light they 
had, we will not dispute. So great has been the influence 
of the " mystery of iniquity " upon the minds of men, that 
the greater part of the world's inhabitants have been de- 
ceived. The Scripture declares that " all the world won- 
dered after the beast [papacy]," and that "all that dwell 
upon the earth shall worship him." Rev. 13:3, 8. This 
work which the great apostasy has wrought has been a most 
extensive one ; but we truly believe that myriads have hon- 
estly thought they were doing God service in keeping Sun- 
day. But that fact does not change the wording or intent 
of the fourth commandment, nor make God authorize men 
to keep the first day of the week, when he commands them 
to keep the seventh. 

We may all feel a deep sense of gratitude that we have a 
God so merciful that he makes allowance for men's ig- 
norance of his requirements when they live up to all the 
light he gives them. He said to the Jews : " This is the 
condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men 
loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were 
evil." John 3: 19. " If ye were blind, ye should have no 
sin ; but now ye say, We see ; therefore your sin remaineth." 
John 9:41. When men honestly seek to live up to all 
the light they have, and earnestly desire all the light 
God has for them, they place themselves where God 
can save them. When men see their duty and will not do it, 
then their sins stand against them, and they are under con- 
demnation. So we hope for the salvation of multitudes of 
those who lived in ages of darkness, those whose lives were 
truly in accordance with all the light they enjoyed. 

But we see a positive statement of Inspiration that the 
" remnant " of the true church will " keep the command- 
ments of God." This cannot mean that they will keep 
merely a part of the commandments, or keep them as 
changed by the papacy ; but that they will keep them as God 
originally gave them. This is a distinguishing feature of 



GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 177 

the last generation of Christians living on the earth. This 
will stir the ire of Satan, and they will have misrepresenta- 
tions and persecutions to meet, and a bitter spirit of opposi- 
tion to encounter. So the Scriptures teach. 

The Three A ngels' Messages. 

We also have a plain reference to this same great move- 
ment in Rev. 14:6-10.* This scripture presents to 
our view the proclamation of three symbolic messengers, 
doubtless symbols of movements of those whom God has 
specially raised up to give important truths in the last days, 
to prepare a people for Christ's coming. These must be 
last-day messages. They are to be proclaimed to " every 
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." 

The first message brings us to the " hour of his 
judgment," which must denote the preliminary work of 
judgment which takes place a little before Christ comes. 
This first proclamation evidently is designed to call special 
attention to the fact that Christ is soon to come. Such a 
message has been in process of proclamation for forty years 
in the past, in the great advent movement specially promi- 
nent from 1840 - 44. It is still being given in every part 
of the earth. 

The second message of warning proclaims the fall of 
Babylon. There is no great literal city of that name upon 
the earth. The term must therefore be used as a symbol. 
The word " Babylon " signifies confusion or mixture, — a 
religious condition where truth and error are mixed to- 
gether in systems of doctrines partly true and partly false. 
This must include a large portion of Christendom. The 
language indicates a state of moral declension in piety and 
devotion, which will largely prevail throughout the world 

*We cannot give a full exposition of this most important scripture; but those who 
desire to investigate this and other kindred texts more fully, will find them further expounded 
in works published by the Southern Publishing Association of Nashville, Tenn., entitled, 
" The Three Angels' Messages of Revelation 14," or " The Position and Work of the True 
People of God." 

12 



178 THB CHAN Cli OF THE SABBATH 

in the last days ; a state of conformity to a worldly standard ; 
a lack of that earnestness, among many who have professed 
the religion of Christ, which was seen in ages past. We 
think no thoughtful, candid person can deny that we have 
reached just such a time. 

The third message of Revelation 14 reads as follows : 
' The third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, 
If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive 
his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink 
of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without 
mixture into the cup of his indignation ; and he shall be tor- 
mented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy 
angels, and in the presence of the Lamb ; and the smoke 
of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever ; and they 
have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his 
image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. 
Here is the patience of the saints ; here are they that keep 
the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus/' 

Whatever may be the reader's views of the meaning of 
this scripture, if he has any reverence for the word of God 
he must believe that here is brought to view a most solemn 
and important work. No other threatening in all the Bible 
is so fearful as this. Some great issue is here to be brought 
to bear upon mankind. We cannot question the fact that 
this is a last-day message, — the very last to be given to 
the world previous to the time when one " like unto the Son 
of man " is beheld coming on a white cloud to reap the har- 
vest of the earth. Rev. 14: 14- 16. "The harvest is the 
end of the world." Matt. 13:39. Christ ascended on high 
from Olivet, and a cloud received him out of the sight of 
his disciples. The shining ones who stood by said, " This 
same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall 
so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." 
Acts 1 : 10, 11. We see the prediction fulfilled in the scrip- 
ture we are noticing, and we therefore conclude that this 
third message is a special proclamation of some important 



GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 179 

truth which is to test the world just before the Saviour 
comes the secofid time. 

What is the nature of the work indicated in this warning 
message ? — First, it is a threatening against those who wor- 
ship a power called the " beast ; " secondly, it brings to view 
a people who " keep the commandments of God, and the 
faith of Jesus.'' 

The "Beast" of Revelation 13 . 

What is this beast power, against which the terrible threat- 
ening is pronounced ? — It is brought to view in the pre- 
ceding chapter, Revelation 13. The prophet beheld a beast 
having seven heads and ten horns, rise out of the sea. His 
body was like that of a leopard, his feet like those of a bear, 
and his mouth like that of a lion, and " the dragon gave 
him his power, and his seat, and great authority." He be- 
held one of his heads wounded to death, but that wound was 
finally healed. "All the world wondered after the beast," 
and " there was given unto him a mouth speaking great 
things and blasphemies ; and power was given unto him to 
continue forty and two months." He had power to make 
war with the saints and overcome them, and " power was 
given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." 
This beast was finally led into captivity. 

The explanation of this symbol is very simple. As the 
great red dragon of the twelfth chapter, with seven heads 
and ten horns, symbolizes the Roman power in its pagan 
form, this symbol of a beast made up of parts of a lion, 
a bear, and a leopard, can only refer to that power which 
contained within itself the three kingdoms symbolized by 
these beasts, viz., Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Grecia. Dan- 
iel 7. Rome conquered the territory and subjects of these 
divisions, and absorbed them, so to speak, into itself. Hence 
its presentation in the symbol as a composite power. Its 
seven heads represented the seven different forms of govern- 
ment in which Rome presented itself to the world ; viz., 



180 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

kingly, consular, triumvirate, deccmvirate, dictatorial, im- 
perial, and papal. The ten horns were the ten kingdoms 
of the Western empire, into which Rome was divided. It 
held supremacy, as we have seen, 1260 prophetic days, or 
years, *. e., 42 months, reckoning each month, as is usual, 
at thirty days. Rome ruled by the popes received its power, 
seat (the city of Rome), and great authority from the pre- 
ceding symbolic form, the dragon, when Justinian, the im- 
perial ruler located in Constantinople, proclaimed the pope 
head over all the churches, a. d. 538. 

This beast received a " deadly wound " in 1798, just 
42 months or 1260 days (prophetic) afterward, when the 
soldiers of the French Republic removed the head, the pope, 
and carried him into exile, where he died. His government 
was then destroyed by the creation of a republic in its 
stead. This " deadly wound was healed " when the pope 
was restored by the allies in 1 8 14. 

The pope has spoken blasphemous words against God in 
the titles he ascribes to himself ; he has " overcome " many 
millions of the saints of God in crusades, by the Inquisition, 
the stake, the dungeon. There is no possible way of es- 
caping the conclusion that the leopard beast of Revelation 
13 and the little horn of Daniel 7 are identical. Both predic- 
tions are wonderfully fulfilled in the papal power. 

The Crisis . 

Now we see the force of the fearful threatening of the 
third angel of Revelation 14. The time has at last come 
for God to reckon with this proud, blasphemous, persecuting 
power, which has dared to change his law, to claim divine 
prerogatives, and to persecute his saints. God did not 
choose to do this in the Dark Ages, when not one in a hun- 
dred could read or write, when one copy of the Bible would 
cost hundreds of dollars, and when it was almost impossible 
to find any copies which the common people could read, 
very few indeed being written in the language then spoken, 



GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 181 

but all hidden in the dead Hebrew, Greek, or Latin tongues. 
But he has waited until the great researches and discoveries 
of later times have opened up all the world to mankind ; 
till the earth is one vast network of railroads, and every 
river, yes, and every ocean, is constantly traversed by the 
sailboat or steamship ; till men talk to each other by means 
of the telegraph and telephone from town to town and from 
country to country; till the busy printing-presses have scat- 
tered the Bible like leaves of autumn, in nearly four hundred 
languages, to every people, race, and tongue ; and until 
nearly every nation can read and write. 

Yes, God reserves this great crisis till all can know his 
word, if they desire to do so. As it was an age of great 
light when Christ first came, the Augustan age of poets, 
philosophers, and statesmen, so God has designed that the 
last great conflict of truth and error shall come in a special 
age of light and knowledge. In the time of the end, knowl- 
edge shall be increased. Dan. 12 : 4. God is merciful. He 
will give all who desire to do so a chance to know his will. 
Then he sends forth this fearful threatening: "If any man 
worship the beast, ... he shall drink of the wine of the 
wrath of God." With an open Bible in every man's hand, 
God can consistently threaten those who violate his holy 
law, and follow longer that apostate power which thinks 
to change it. 

We may now ask, What is the position of God's true 
people ? " Here are they," says the third angel, " that keep 
the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." They 
keep them as God gave them, and not as an apostate church 
changed them. And for that work that church is threatened 
with wrath without mercy. God's people will be distin- 
guished by obedience to him in this crisis, and will not follow 
another power. It would be absurd to suppose that when 
Christ comes he will find his people, who are to be trans- 
lated alive to heaven, following the work of this wicked 



182 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

power, in disobedience to God's law. We cannot, therefore, 
question the fact that the last great reform, the final conflict 
between truth and error, will be over the law of Jehovah. 
This issue is reserved as the last great test. 

Would any say the issue is an insignificant one? They 
cannot truthfully do so. God has ever exalted his law as 
very sacred. H e spoke and wrote it himself. Christ mag- 
nified it and made it " honorable." He says, " Till heaven 
and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass 
from the law." In the very last chapter of the Bible, Christ, 
the Alpha and Omega, declares, " Blessed are they that do 
his [the Father's] commandments, that they may have right 
to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into 
the city." Rev. 22 : 14. The wise man says : "Let us hear 
the conclusion of the whole matter : Fear God, and keep his 
commandments ; for this is the whole duty of man." Eccl. 
12 : 13. He says again, " He that turneth away his ear from 
hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination." 
Prov. 28 : 9. This law is not abolished by the gospel, for 
Paul says, some thirty years after the cross of Christ, 
" Do we then make void the law through faith ? God for- 
bid ; yea, we establish the law." Rom. 3:31. This law is 
of universal application. " Now we know that what things 
soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law ; 
that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may 
become guilty before God." Rom. 3:19. So we might 
proceed, and fill page after page with just such quotations, 
showing the immutability of God's " perfect," " holy, just, 
and good," " spiritual " law. Such are the expressions 
everywhere to be found in the blessed Bible concerning this 
law which the Deity promulgated in thunder tones from 
Sinai's summit, with a voice that shook the earth. 

Oh, no ! this great conflict in the last days concerning 
this law "which demands the obedience of every man, the 
transgression of which is sin, is no light thing. The very 
foundations of moralitv and true reverence for God are in- 



GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 183 

volved in the conflict. This law will be the main point of 
the struggle. God's holy Sabbath, given to man at the cre- 
ation of the world, kept for thousands of years by his people 
till changed by the man of sin, will have its proper position 
in the affections of God's people, who will be translated at 
the coming of Christ. 

The light is already shining on this subject. The reform 
connected with the third angel's message in the restoration 
of the Bible Sabbath is extending to all parts of the earth. 
It is published already in the leading languages of the 
world. Printing-offices for its promulgation are to be found 
in the United States, England, Switzerland, Norway, and 
Australia. Observers of the true Sabbath are to be found 
in the United States, Great Britain, France, Switzerland, 
Germany, Italy, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Hol- 
land, and Roumania, and in some portions of Africa, South 
America, the Sandwich Islands, Australia, and New Zea- 
land. Its adherents are being rapidly increased by the ex- 
tensive circulation of publications, and by the active labors 
of ministers, missionary workers, colporters, and canvassers 
in every part of the globe. 

Very recently there has been a wonderful growth of inter- 
est in the Sabbath question in all parts of the world. It is 
becoming a live question ; it must and will be heard. We 
live in an age of investigation, and there is no theological 
question agitated to-day more plain or more important than 
this. Let the good work go on till the hoary error is 
exposed in all its deformity, and precious, blessed truth 
shines out clearlv to all mankind. 



SUMMARY OF FACL5 ABOUT THE 
SEVENTH DAY OF THE WEEK 




CHAPTER XXL 




[N this chapter we give a brief summary of 
the facts concerning the seventh-day Sabbath 
as presented in this treatise. 

I. The great God closed his six days of 
labor in creating the world, by resting on 
the seventh day of the first week of time, and thus laid the 
foundation of the Sabbatic institution. 

2. The seventh day of the week thus became God's rest- 
day, i. e., Sabbath day, Sabbath meaning rest. One day 
of the week is therefore God's rest-day, because he rested 
upon it, and no other can become such until his act of 
resting is repeated upon some other day. This no one 
claims has ever occurred. 

3. There are therefore in each week, as the prophet says 
(Eze. 46: 1), "six working days," and one rest or " Sab- 
bath day," and that is the seventh day of the week. 

4. That original " rest-day " of Jehovah, God himself 
blessed, because that in it he had rested. Gen. 2 : 3. Thus 
it became a better day than the other days ; for what God 
blesses is made better by that act. Therefore all days 
are not alike. 

5. God also, at the very time when he blessed the seventh 
day, " sanctified it," i. e., " appointed it to a holy or sacred 
use," for human beings to use as a Sabbath. Gen. 2 : 3. 
In no other way could this have been done except by inform- 
ing Adam and Eve, the only living persons, of their duty 

(184) 



FACTS ABOUT THE SABBATH 185 

thus to observe it. Thus the Sabbath was made for man 
at the beginning of human history, at the creation of the 
world. 

6. The only origin of the weekly cycle is the appointment 
of the Sabbath. And as this cycle has been known to all 
ages, the existence of the Sabbath in the earliest times is 
demonstrated. Gen. 7:4; 8 : 10, 12 ; 29 : 27. 

7. The seventh-day Sabbath is not Jewish, because it 
originated more than two thousand years before there 
was a Jew. The word Jew is derived from the name 
Judah, one of the sons of Jacob. 

8. We have given the clearest evidences from heathen 
historians of the existence and knowledge of the Sabbath 
among other ancient nations not descended from Abraham ; 
and tablets dug up in ancient cities and a variety of other 
authorities clearly prove that it was not derived from the 
Jewish people. 

9. As the Sabbath originated thousands of years before 
there was a Jew, and was committed to the ancestors of a 
multitude of other nations besides the one Jewish nation, 
even before they received it ; therefore it would be more fit- 
ting to call it the Gentile Sabbath than the Jewish. 

10. Inasmuch as God's rest implies the completion of his 
work of creation, and since he appeals to the fact that he 
created all things in six days and rested on the seventh as 
the great reason why he commands all men to observe the 
Sabbath, therefore we must conclude that the seventh-day 
Sabbath is God's great memorial of his work as creator. 

11. All Gentiles owe their existence to God's act of cre- 
ating, as much as do the Jews ; hence, primarily, they are 
just as much under obligation to observe the memorial of 
creation as the Jews are. 

12. The reason why God placed this great memorial in 
the hands of Abraham's seed for a period of time is the 
same precisely that led him to place his law in their keeping, 
to give himself to them as the God of Israel, to allow his 



186 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

word to be written by them, and then brought the Saviour 
himself through that nation, viz., because all the world ex- 
cept the nation of the Jews had rebelled against him and 
gone into idolatry. None of these particulars are Jewish 
in character ; all the world is interested in them. 

13. As positive proof that the Sabbath did not owe its 
existence to the proclamation of the law from Sinai, but 
that God already had a law of which the Sabbath was a part, 
we cite the account in Exodus 16, where " he proved them, 
whether they would walk in his law or no," more than thirty 
days before he spoke his law to the people. Ex. 16: 
4, 22 - 24. 

14. The miraculous falling of the manna on the "six 
working days," with a double portion on the sixth day of 
the week, while none fell on the seventh, and its preserva- 
tion on the Sabbath, while it became corrupt if left over 
on other days, continued for forty years, thus attesting by 
more than six thousand miracles in the aggregate, which 
day God regarded as the rest-day of his people. It forever 
annihilates the seventh-part-of-time theory, and demon- 
strates beyond the peradventure of a doubt that God has 
one particular day of the seven which he desires his 
people to keep holy. 

15. In the most solemn, impressive manner, God pro- 
claimed his law on Mount Sinai, wrote it with his own finger 
on the imperishable tablets of stone ; and in the very midst 
of the nine moral precepts, which all admit are immutable 
and of universal obligation, he placed the seventh-day Sab- 
bath, and commanded men to remember it to keep it holy, 
thus showing it was like the other commandments in char- 
acter and moral obligation, or it would have been placed 
with the ceremonial precepts. 

16. In the fourth commandment no reasonable ground is 
given from which to claim that it is merely one day in seven 
and no day in particular which God requires to be kept 
holy ; but it is the day of God's rest which he commands 



FACTS ABOUT THE SABBATH 187 

us to observe. This is as definite as one's birthday or 
Independence day, as God rested only on the seventh day 
of the weekly cycle. Therefore it is utterly impossible to 
cover the first day of the week with the mantle of that 
command which requires men to observe the seventh day. 

17. All the reasons given in the commandment for the 
observance of the Sabbath are such as apply to the Gentiles 
just as much as to the Jews; one needs rest as much as the 
other ; both need to keep in mind the true God ; both need 
a day of worship ; both owe their existence to creation ; 
therefore both should keep its memorial. 

18. As the Sabbath is a memorial of the creation, the ob- 
servance of it by any person is a " sign " that such a one 
is a worshiper of the true God, the Creator. It ever distin- 
guishes him from idolaters. Had men always observed it, 
it would have preserved the race from idolatry. Hence the 
Sabbath is a " sign," or token, between God and his people. 
Ex. 31:13-17; Eze. 20:20. 

19. The fact that God promised the Jews that their city 
should stand forever if they would always observe the Sab- 
bath (Jer. 17:24, 25), and then, because they did not 
keep it, he destroyed their city, and sent them into captivity 
(Neh. 13: 18; Ex. 20: 13), strongly attests his high regard 
for it. 

20. By the mouth of the prophet Isaiah, in a prophecy 
referring wholly to the Christian dispensation, God pro- 
nounced a great blessing upon all the Gentiles who should 
keep the Lord's Sabbath holy (Isa. 56 : 6), thus clearly prov- 
ing that it was not a Jewish institution, confined to that 
nation alone. 

21. Our Saviour, when he came, kept the Sabbath, with 
the rest of his Father's commandments. John 15:10. It 
was his " custom " to use it as a day of religious meetings 
in which to preach the gospel to the people. Luke 4: 16. 
He stripped off the burdensome traditions the Jews had 
placed around it and restored it to its proper position as 



188 THE CHANGE Of THE SABBATH 

a day of rest and refreshment, a blessing to mankind ; and 
he declared himself to be its Lord, its protector (Mark 2: 
28), and that it was made for the race of man. 

22. Christ had the right to call himself the special guar- 
dian of the Sabbath, inasmuch as he was the one who created 
the world (John 1:3; Col. 1 : 16; Heb. 1:2), and so was 
a partner in the rest upon the first seventh day in the first 
week of time, and thus helped to make the Sabbath. Hence 
we see why the seventh-day Sabbath is truly the Lord Jesus 
Christ's day, in a sense that no other day can be. 

23. Christ also taught the present, future, and eternal ob- 
ligation of all the commandments of the moral law, of which 
the Sabbath command is a part, solemnly declaring that not 
a letter or a point of a letter should pass from the law 
till heaven and earth pass away, and that whosoever should 
break one of the least of these commandments should for- 
feit heaven by so doing, thus enforcing the authority of 
the Sabbath in the most forcible manner possible. Matt. 

5:i7-i9. 

24. Our Saviour not only imitated his Father in resting 

himself on the Sabbath during his earthly life, but showed 
his solicitude that his disciples should observe it after his 
death, even in times of great national calamities, by teach- 
ing them to pray continually for forty years that the time 
of their flight from Jerusalem, just before its destruction, 
should not occur on the Sabbath day. Matt. 24 : 20. 

25. After our Saviour's death, the disciples, faithful to 
his example and instructions, continued to treat the Sabbath 
as sacred time. The holy women would not even anoint 
his body on that day, but " rested upon the Sabbath day 
according to the commandment " (Luke 23 : 56), and came 
upon the first day of the week to do that which they would 
not do upon the seventh. 

26. For some thirty years after Christ's death we have an 
inspired history of the apostolic church, in which we learn 
of the exceeding bitterness and hatred of the Jews against 



FACTS ABOUT THE SABBATH 189 

die disciples, making them take every possible occasion to 
persecute and destroy them. But in not a single instance 
is there the slightest hint that they ever found them breaking 
the Sabbath. This negative argument affords the strongest 
proof that the disciples continued to observe that day as 
they always had. 

2J. But in addition to this we have the positive statement 
of Scripture that it was Paul's " manner " to use the day 
for religious worship. Acts 17:2. This is evident when 
we consider that Inspiration gives an account of some eighty- 
four different Sabbaths in which these religious services 
were held. Acts 16:13; 17:2; 18:4, 11; 13 : 14, 44. The 
last one of these was a distinctively Gentile meeting, held by 
the special invitation of the Gentiles of Antioch, — a service 
which nearly the whole population of the city attended. 

28. Not only was it the practice of the apostolic church 
to observe the seventh-day Sabbath, and hold religious 
services on that day, but the Holy Spirit has settled the ques- 
tion forever as to which day of the week in the Christian 
dispensation is entitled to the sacred name of " the Sabbath 
day/' by calling that day the Sabbath after Christ's resur- 
rection which had been such for four thousand years before, 
and never calling any other day by that title. 

29. Inasmuch as all the inspired writers of the New 
Testament, from St. Matthew, writing during the first de- 
cade after the resurrection, to St. John, who penned his Gos- 
pel at the very close of the first century of the Christian era, 
always call the seventh day the Sabbath when they have 
occasion to speak of it, and never give the first day of 
the week that title, it clearly demonstrates that they had 
never learned of any change during that time, or made any 
in their practice ; for they surely would have called that day 
the Sabbath which they kept as such. 

30. And in the case of St. Paul, the great apostle to the 
Gentiles, we have his explicit statement that he had " com- 
mitted nothing against the people, or customs of the fathers." 



m THE CHANGE Of THE SABBATH 

Acts 28 : 17. Hence he must have kept the ancient Sabbath ; 
for all agree that this was one of their customs; and as it 
is evident that he taught what he practiced himself, inasmuch 
as he commanded the disciples to follow him as he followed 
Christ, both he and Christ must have kept that day. There- 
fore Paul taught the Gentiles to observe the Sabbath. Thus 
the churches in Thessalonica, Gentile churches, followed the 
example of the Sabbath-keeping churches of Judea. 1 
Thess. 2 : 14. 

31. St. John, the last writer in the Bible, just at the close 
of the first century of the Christian dispensation, still recog- 
nized the existence of that Sabbath day of which Christ 
said that he was " Lord " (Rev. 1 : 10), thus demonstrating 
that all days are not alike, but that the Lord still has a day 
which he calls his own, just as much as he had four thousand 
years before that time. 

32. We have clearly proved from a variety of first-day 
historians that this same seventh-day Sabbath was still ob- 
served more or less sacredly by the mass of Gentile Chris- 
tians for centuries after the death of Christ, until by 
the machinations of the Roman Catholic Church, it was 
treated with indignity and contempt. Finally, all who ob- 
served it were placed under a curse by the Catholic Council 
of Laodicea, a. d. 364. 

33. We have also learned from history that the true Sab- 
bath continued to be observed by Christians whom the 
Catholic Church could not control. It denounced them as 
heretics, and persecuted and killed even those who were 
remote from its influence, during all the dark ages of papal 
supremacy. 

34. We have also shown that in the last great reform 
entered upon by God's people just before Christ comes, 
God's ancient Sabbath, trampled upon for ages by the great 
apostasy which has thought to " change " God's law, and 
which has exalted itself " above all that is called God," 
in the very church or " temple of God," shall once more 



FACTS ABOUT THE SABBATH 191 

stand forth in its pristine glory, and be observed by the 
people of God as the great memorial of his creative ivork. 

35. Thus we see that the people whom Christ will trans- 
late at his coming, to reign with him in glory, will agree 
in practice concerning the seventh-day Sabbath with God 
the Father, Christ the Son, all the faithful patriarchs and 
prophets of ancient times, the apostles of the Lord Jesus, 
the early apostolic church, and all others who take the Bible 
for their authority and obey the law of God. 

36. And finally, the prophet Isaiah, in a glorious view 
of the new heavens and earth, after all rebellion, sin, and 
death shall be forever abolished, beholds all the children of 
God observing the original, ancient Sabbath of the great 
Jehovah, meeting together every time of its recurrence to 
worship him for whom that day is the great memorial. 
Isa. 66 : 22, 23. How, then, can men believe that the day 
has lost its sacredness and importance? 




.SUMMARY OF FACT5 ABOUT THE 
FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK 




CHAPTER XXII. 




'OD commenced his work of creating the world 
by working on the first day of the first week 
of time, while he rested on the seventh day 
of that week ; thus distinguishing the first day 
as a " working day," while he made the 
seventh a rest day. Can it be wicked to follow the example 
of the God of heaven, and work on Sunday? 

2. Not an instance can be found in the Bible where 
Sunday was ever observed as a rest-day, or a hint given 
that its character as a " working day " was ever changed to 
that of a rest-day. Indeed, God in the fourth commandment 
(Ex. 20 : 8 - 11) permits or commands men to work upon it ; 
and the prophet Ezekiel calls it one of the " working days." 
Eze. 46: 1. Can it be a sin to treat it as God expressly 
permits in his own law? 

3. Not a command in all the Bible can be found to observe 
Sunday as a rest-day or a day for religious worship, no 
record of its ever being blessed or set apart for any sacred 
use whatever, no command to break bread upon it, no hint 
of any change of the Sabbath in any way, nor the slightest 
proof that the sacrevlness of the original Sabbath was ever 
transferred to it. 

4. Jesus worked at the carpenter's trade (Mark 6:3) 
till he was nearly thirty years old. He worked six days, 
and rested on the Sabbath ; hence he performed many a 

(192) 



FACTS ABOUT SUNDAY 193 

day's work on Sunday. Is our Saviour's example safe 
to follow? 

5. The apostles and early Christians also worked on the 
first day of the week, and not an instance can be found of 
their treating it in any other way than as a " working day." 
Indeed, as no law was ever given in the Bible to observe 
it as a Sabbath, it cannot be wrong to work upon it. 

' Where no law is, there is no transgression." Rom. 4: 15. 
" Sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3 : 4. Hence 
it cannot be sin to do ordinary business on Sunday. 

6. There are only nine instances in all the Bible where 
the first day of the week is mentioned : Gen. 1:5; Matt. 
28:1; Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19; Acts 
20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2. These instances refer to only three 
different days, the first being the day when God began to 
create ; the next six referring to that first day on which 
Christ was raised from the dead ; while the one in Acts 
20 is the last particular day referred to ; and the direction 
concerning the "laying by in store," in 1 Cor. 16: 2, does 
not refer to any one first day, but to a duty to be done on all 
of them. It is remarkable that in every instance here re- 
ferred to, the Scripture record gives plain evidence that it 
was a " working day." 

7. The first instance we have already noticed, in which 
God commenced his work of creating. The day of Christ's 
resurrection was one of the busiest days of which we have 
any record in the word of God. The disciples went out 
with the materials which they had prepared for the anoint- 
ing of Christ's body, which work they would not do on the 
day previous. When they did not find him, they spent the 
time hurrying here and there, inquiring of one another con- 
cerning the strange occurrences. Two of them walked fif- 
teen miles on that day, out to Emmaus and back, and Christ 
himself walked much of the way with them. A strange 
way to observe a Sabbath ! As the first Sabbath of a series 
gives the proper example for all the rest, it is therefore per- 

13 



194 THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 

fectly proper to travel on a journey afoot many miles on 
the first day of the week. Thus we have the example of 
Christ and his disciples for treating the first day as a work- 
ing day since the resurrection of Christ. 

8. So also of the last specific instance in which the first 
day is mentioned, Acts 20 : 7. Paul walked nineteen and 
a half miles from Troas to Assos on the first day of the 
week. And though there was one religious meeting held 
in the dark part of that first day, the only case of the kind 
brought to view in all the Bible, yet the fact of his journey- 
ing plainly proves that Paul regarded it simply as a " work- 
ing day." 

9. The recommendation of Paul to the Corinthians — 
for every one to " lay by him in store, as God hath pros- 
pered him/' on the first day of the week — proves the same 
thing. This laying by him was " by himself at home," as 
many versions render it. Their doing this as God had 
prospered them would imply a reckoning of their accounts, 
a business inconsistent with the sacredness of a Sabbath, 
but every way consistent with a " working day." How 
strange that upon such evidence good people should try 
to change a " working day " into the Sabbath ! 

10. After the death of the apostles, during the second 
century, we find some voluntary regard being paid to Sun- 
day, with Good Friday and other festival days, for which no 
command of Scripture was ever assigned, and later on, 
" custom " was quoted as additional evidence. Subsequently 
some held religious meetings upon it, and finally the Catholic 
Church favored it, calling it the Lord's day, about a. d. 
200. At last Constantine, a heathen, passed a law (a. d. 
321) commanding a portion of the people to rest from 
labor on " the venerable day of the sun." This heathen law 
was the first ever made requiring cessation from labor 
on Sunday. 

11. From various first-day authors we have shown that 
Sunday was a heathen " memorial " of sun worship, the 



FACTS ABOUT SUNDAY 195 

first form of idolatry ; hence the name Sunday. It was re- 
garded all through the heathen world as a weekly festival ; 
hence Constantine calls it " the venerable day of the sun." 
This fact enabled the Catholic Church the more readily to 
exalt it among the vast body of heathen nominally converted 
to Christianity. 

12. The Roman Catholic Church continued till the Refor- 
mation to exalt the Sunday, fining and whipping men who 
would not keep it, appealing to base frauds and false mir- 
acles to sustain it, till its partial observance became general, 
while the ancient Sabbath was suppressed. Yet it took 
nearly a thousand years before the first day was called the 
Sabbath, even by the Catholic Church. 

13. In the Protestant Reformation, those who were en- 
gaged in it came from the Catholic Church, and brought 
Sunday along with them, though many of the Reformers 
regarded it simply as a festival day, like the other church 
festivals. 

14. The doctrine of a Sunday Sabbath, as now taught, 
was never promulgated in its present form, claiming divine 
authority for the change, and sustaining itself from the 
fourth commandment, until put forth by Rev. Nicholas 
Bound in 1595, and hence is an entirely modern doctrine. 
It has been extensively taught in Great Britain and the 
United States, but has not been generally adopted on the 
continent of Europe. It is a doctrine having no foundation 
whatever in Scripture. 

15. The Catholic Church everywhere claims to have 
changed the Sabbath, and the facts of history abundantly 
verify the statement. The prophet clearly foretold the 
change (Dan. 7:25), and the final reform (Rev. 12:17; 
14: 12), when this heathen "memorial," intrenched by the 
power of the Catholic Church in the very " temple " or 
church of God, would be cast aside by the people who pre- 
pare for the coming of Christ. These will " keep the com- 
mandments of God " as the Father gave them. 



19(5 



THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH 



Dear reader, on which side of this last conflict will you 
place yourself? Which of these days will you keep? Will 
you take God's ancient Sabbath, recognized in the Holy 
Scriptures as his holy day for more than 4,000 years? or 
will you take the festival of " pope and pagan " as your 
day of rest, and still trample under foot the law of the great 
Jehovah? "Choose you this day whom ye will serve." 




HISTORY wthE SABBATH 

BY J. N. ANDREWS 

THOSE in search of a more thorough exposition of the change of the 
Sabbath are referred to "History of the Sabbath and the First Day 
of the Week." This great and exhaustive work is a mine of useful infor- 
mation on the Sabbath Question. 

Ei)ery Passage of Scripture bvhich has any 
connection tvith the Sabbath, in the Old Tes- 
tament or in the JWetv, is Critically Examined 

It also carefully canvasses the entire ground of sacred and profane 
history, noting every point and answering every question. A copious index 
enables the reader readily to find any passage of scripture or the statement 
of any historian. Revised and enlarged, and now contains 548 pages. 

Half Morocco, Gilt Edges, £3.2.5 

Cloth, SprinKJed Edges, I.JO 



M^ss SOUTHERN PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION 

NASHVILLE, TENN. FORT WORTH, TEXAS. 



WHAT THINK YE? 

"What Think Ye?" is a valuable little 40-page pamphlet, comprising 
a series of short Bible readings, and is probably the best epitome of the 
distinctive points of the Gospel ever published in so brief a form. Be- 
ing envelope size, it may be used to good advantage in correspondence. 
Single copy by mail, postpaid, 3 cts.; two copies to one address, 5 cts. 
50 copies to one address, $1.00. ..... 

REDEMPTION. 

"Redemption" is a new tract of eight pages, and treats the subject 
oi Redemption in a concise and comprehensive manner. It is intensely 
interesting from beginning to end. It is a tract that you will enjoy 
reading, and one that will interest your friends. Price, 50 cts. per 
hundred. ......... 

THE FAMILY BIBLE TEACHER. 

A course of twenty-eight Bible studies, designed for personal study. 
They cover the subjects usually presented in a course of gospel lectures 
or Bible readings. Eleven of the lessons are devoted to a study of the 
prophecies. The price of the entire course, postpaid, is but 10 cts. 

PUBLISH ED BY / 

SOUTHERN PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION, 

NASHVILLE, TENN. FORT WORTH, TEXAS. 



The Great Controversy 

Between Christ and Satan During 
the Christian Dispensation 



< 






(Qmwjw&f 



%GcTV/EEM 



AATAN 




. ♦ By . , 

Mrs. E. G. White, 

A COMPANION 
VOLUME TO ♦ . 



u 



PATRIARCHS , . 
AND PROPHETS " 



This volume presents the most 
wonderful and intensely interesting 
history that has ever been written of 
the great conflict between Christianity 
and the power9 of darkness, as illus- 
trated in the lives of Christian martyrs 
and reformers on the one hand, and 
wicked men and persecuting powers on the other. 

Beginning with our Lord's great prophecy given while viewing 
Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, this book outlines the history of 
the whole dispensation down to the time when "sin and sinners are no 
more; God's entire universe is clean; and the great controversy is 
forever ended." 



1 4th Edition. 



Over 700 Pages, and 26 Illustrations. 
Is Handsomely Printed and Bound. 



The Work 



Cloth, marbled edges, ------- $2.25 

Cloth, gilt edges, -------- 3.75 

Library, marbled edges, ------- 3.00 

Half morocco, gilt edges, - - - - - - -3- 50 

Full morocco, gilt edges, ------- 4.30 



JUT* Also issued in Danish, Swedish, German, and French at the 

same prices. 

SOUTHERN PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION 

NASHVILLE. TENN. FORT WORTH, TEXAS 




Daniel and the 

Revelation 

The RESPONSE OF HISTORY 
To the VOICE OF PROPHECY 



A verse-by- verse Study of these important 
Books of the Bible. 



BY URIAH SMITH 



31 ANIEL and REVELATION are two of the most important books in all the 
Cy Bible. This volume is a critical study of these books, verse by verse, de- 
signed to bring out the stirring, practical, and prophetic truths which they 
contain, 

Many have considered these portions of Scripture hard to understand ; but 
here a key is put into the reader's hand, which has made plain to thousands what 
was before dark and obscure. The field of history is carefully scanned, and its 
emphatic response to the voice of prophecy is shown to be clear and beyond dis- 
pute. A prophecy fulfilled (and there are many such in these books) is a most 
powerful antidote against skepticism. 

Prophecy is still fulfilling. Scenes of the most startling nature are just 
before us, which all should understand. 



757 Octavo Pages, Exclusive of 56 Full-Page Illustrations. 
Cloth, marbled edges, - - $2.25 Library, marbled edges, - 
Cloth, gilt edges, - 2.75 Full morocco, gilt edges, 



$3.00 
4.50 



IN FIVE LANGUAGES. 



130th THOUSAND. 



BY THE SAME: AUTHOR. 

Here and Hereafter, Or Man in Life and Death. (In two languages.) 4th 
edition, revised 1897 ; 11th thousand: 8vo, 357 pp.; cloth, $1.00. 

Synopsis of Present Truth.— Or a brief Exposition of the Views of Sev- 
enth-day Adventists. (In two languages.) 3d edition ; 5th thousand ; 8 vo, 333 
pp., cloth, $1.00. 

Modern Spiritualism : A Subject of Prophecy and a Sign of the Times 
8 vo., 156 pp.: illustrated, cloth, 40c. 

Looking* TJnto Jesus, Or Christ in Type and Antitype. 308 pp., fully illus- 
trated. Presentation edition, $1.50. Plain edition, $1.00. 

Smith's Diagram of Parliamentary Rules.— Pocket size, 32 pp., mus- 
lin, 50c. 

Poem on the Sabbath: A Word for the Sabbath, or False Theories Ex- 
posed. 12 mo., 64 pp., cloth, 30c. 

Southern publishing association 

NASHVILLE, TENN. FORT WORTH, TEXAS 



THE DESIRE OF AGE5 



By MRS. E. G. WHITE. 




THE author, in her simple yet 
clear and forcible style, brings 
forth in this new book many 
grand truths from the treasure 
house of God's Word pertaining 
to the prophecies relating to the 
first advent of our Lord. She 
also gives a graphic description 
of his life in all its various phases 
-"Asa Child, ' * " The Voice in 
the Wilderness," "The Baptism," 
"Is Not This the Carpenter's 
Son?" "His Ministry," "The 
Divine Shepherd," " Blessing the 
Children," " Gethsemane," "It 
Is Finished," " In Joseph's New 
Tomb. ' ' These are but a few of 
the many important themes con- 
sidered in the work. 
The chapter entitled "Asa Child " alone is worth the entire price 
of the book to every parent . To be appreciated the book must be care- 
fully read and studied. Words are inadequate to do justice in giving a 
description of the book. 

Your library is not complete without it. 



38 full-page engravings, 87 illuminated chapter headings, nearly 
300 small cuts illustrating the text, 866 pages. 



Popular edition, cloth, plain edges ...... $2.50 

Cloth, marbled edges ---•-•---•3.50 
Cloth, gilt edges --.-----.. 4.35 

Library, marbled edges .---.-...5.00 
Full morocco, gilt edges -•-•»••*•• 7.00 
Trade edition, thin paper, not illustrated, cloth - - . - 1.50 
Thin paper, not Illustrated, leather -.----- a. 00 

SOUTHERN PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION 

NASHVILLE. TENN. FORT WORTH, TEXAS 






mf + 






,4q< 



-«>*' 



*> 
"> 



o 



^* <l> q 



\ 



•v 



o 



V1 V& j- *y 





^ 



^ 

^ 

^ 




c v 













y ■* 







/ % '-life* 9 >° % -Sii* ./ °- 



*>. 



A** % " 



j. ^ 




•- "v> 




!► .VVa'' t<. ^ -• 

^ o ° " c * ^, 




fl 4o, 



^0v 



°o 







■btLIiYv 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




029 789 262 9 




JMH 

HI 




wBSnL 
1 
JffiHffl 

hMH 
UMWWj 

■nN 

ISM 



HHBJ 
WW 

■Hb_ 
n 

II 

UmMmHI 

BBHH 



Sum 

^B BUB 

H 

■ 

EH I 



H 



